On the Edge
by FeistyFox
Summary: The kid could only teeter on the edge for so long before she fell off .
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Tin Man is not mine.

Coming to Milltown had been the worst idea he'd had in years. Not that he had known what was going to happen but he hadn't thought on it nearly as much as he should have. All he'd wanted was to give the kid a break, a treat, after the year she'd had. He knew better than anyone what she'd forced herself through since they'd killed the witch. She hadn't been eating right, she hadn't been sleeping, she'd pushed herself too hard and too fast with her magic.

So when they passed by the rundown old place after she spent nearly three weeks healing the Papay Fields he had thought seeing her foster parents would cheer her up. He knew she'd been wanting to see them but things had been hectic. For once he ignored their tight schedule and headed toward the town. The moment she realized where he was taking them she had let out a squeal of joy and tackled him with one of her hugs while he was driving. They had nearly crashed into a tree but the smile on her face as she started bouncing in her seat had been worth the near death experience.

Her excitement when she bounded out of the truck made him smile as he kept a close eye on her while she walked farther into the town. A few of the citizens waved to her and she gave them a cheery smile. This was probably the only town in the realm he would have let her walk off on her own in. The robots were fanatically loyal to her even if she wasn't going to be the next queen. It didn't seem to bother them in the slightest, at least not the ones that had come to Central City to help get things back in order.

As she wandered around looking for the robots that had raised her he saw Father View float out of the town council hall. He waved to the cyborg and frowned when the mayor's head whipped between him and the princess's retreating figure. On alert in an instant his eyes scanned the small square for danger as he hurried toward the robot with his hand on his gun.

"Tin Man." He nodded his head quickly in acknowledgement. "Why have you brought her here?"

He tipped his hat back slightly as his eyebrow quirked up. "She wanted to see her nurture units. Is she not welcome here?" There was an edge to his voice. She sure as hell better be welcome here.

"Princess Dorothy Gale will always be welcome in Milltown."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I haven't been able to fix my children." The mayor looked at him as if he should know what that meant.

He frowned in annoyance. "What?"

The robot started to hover erratically. "I've been sending updates to our queen. The witch destroyed their CPU's. I'm afraid I can't retrieve their hard drives."

"What?" He had no idea what that meant. Out of the corner of his eye he saw DG spy her foster father and hug him enthusiastically.

Odd arms unfolded from his cylindrically body. "Their memories are gone." His head snapped around in time to see the kid step back with a look of confusion on her face. He saw her mouth moving as she stared uncomprehendingly at the grey haired man in front of her. "The only thing they know is what's happened in the last few months."

His stomach dropped. "Damn it." He walked toward her quickly, cursing himself ten ways for being such a fool as she began to turn around. Her eyes were desperately searching for the mother that no longer knew her.

Before he could get to her she had spotted her foster mother and darted toward her. He was close enough to hear her slightly panicked voice. "Mom?"

The blond robot tilted her head and gave her an empty smile. "Are you looking for someone, dear?"

DG sucked in a sharp breath and he caught her around the waist before she could say anything. He tilted his hat toward the robot with his free hand. The last thing he wanted was to upset her former nurture unit and have her attack them. "No, mam. Sorry to bother you." The kid was stiff in his arms as he began to drag her back toward the truck. They had made it three feet before she snapped out of her stunned state and dug her heels into the ground, her eyes trained on the people that had raised her. Leaning down quickly he whispered in her ear before she could start to fight. "I didn't know, Deeg. Come on now."

Her legs unlocked and she stumbled after him with her head turned back over her shoulder. He was afraid to loosen his grip on her as they walked back out of the town. Nodding his head to Father View once, he opened the passenger door and set her inside. He started the truck and looked over at her. The girls face was blank as she stared straight ahead. Once they were back on the road he reached out to push some of her hair out of her face.

"Kid?" She shrank away from him and turned her head to look out the side window. He dropped his hand with a sad sigh. "Kiddo, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you-"

"You didn't know." Her voice was emotionless. "You were trying to make me happy. It's ok."

This was in no way 'ok'. The girl had lost her family. At least the family she knew, the family that raised her. The one that had seen her grow up, the family that had taken care of her when she was sick and hurt, the people that had celebrated with her, the family that had loved her because they knew everything about her. He was going to tear the queen and consort to pieces for this. Why they kept thinking keeping things from her was the best way to go was anything but beneficial. This blow could have been softened. They could have told her this instead of once again having her run headlong into the cold reality that her life had become.

The princess didn't speak again. She just sat there, still and silent, until they stopped to make camp. He pulled well off the road and got out to hide the tracks the truck had made. Things may be a lot safer these days but he wasn't taking any chances when DG was with him. Even if she did know how to use her magic now he didn't want to stumble into a fight where she was forced to use it. Certainly not when a fight was preventable.

When he came back she was clearing off a space for a small fire and their packs and bedrolls were sitting neatly under the base of one of the large trees that surround the tiny clearing he had managed to find. She looked tired, more than she usually did. He supposed she'd lost the will to pretend she was perky.

Deciding it might be best to let her work this out on her own for a bit he went about his usual routine without comment. Over the last month of traveling around they had developed an easy pattern when they put up a campsite. They were pretty efficient and had managed to find the quickest way to have everything set up between them after a couple of trial runs. He glanced up at the sky and spotting clouds massing overhead he pulled the small tent they had brought out of the back of the pickup.

Once it was set up he tossed their bedrolls under the canopy. Deeg had a fire started by the time he was done and was sitting with her back against one of the trees. Her hands were thrust out toward the flames as she tried to warm them. She didn't react when he set a pot over the fire and started to boil some water. He was hoping to get some food in her while she was still in a passive state of shock.

He wasn't fast enough. The soup he had been making was nearly done when she stood up abruptly and retreated to the canvas shelter. He rubbed his eyes as he heard her rustling around before everything went still again. Eating quickly he banked the fire and made one last sweep of the camp before heading to the tent. The second sun was setting as he pulled the flap open and there was barely enough light for him to see her curled up in a tight ball in the corner with her eyes closed. Her breathing was pretty even but he couldn't tell if she had fallen asleep or if she was pretending to stop him from talking to her.

If she was faking it worked. He removed his holster, hat, and boots before he laid down next to her. Stretching his arm out he covered her with his duster before he shut his eyes. He doubted he had been asleep for more than an hour when he heard her move. Why she thought she would be able to make it out of the tent without waking him up was a mystery. She knew better than anyone how light a sleeper he was. Maybe she thought the light rain that had begun to fall would cover any noise she was making. DG hadn't made it four inches before he snaked his arm out and pulled her back to him as he sat up.

"Cain-" Her voice was choked, "-I'm just going to sit in the truck."

"No, you're goin' to stay right here with me." He wasn't going to let her go through this by herself. He knew from experience what it was like to feel the loss of family alone. The girl didn't deserve that.

"Please." He didn't need to see to know she had started to cry. "You need to sleep. Let me go."

"No." He tightened his hold on her and laid them both back down. She struggled briefly through her tears before a sob broke out of her. Tucking her against him he held her with one hand as he found his duster with his other. Wrapping it around her shaking body he began to rub her back as she tried to fight back her grief. Her soft crying was coming out in short ragged bursts. She was trying to stop herself. "Don't fight it, DG." He twisted so he could cover more of her. "You'll feel better if you get it all out."

A shudder ran down her body as she struggled with herself. He knew she didn't let what she was feeling out that often. He had never been sure what stopped her. Sure, she had lost control in the cave, but other than that she hadn't shed as much as a tear in his presence. He had silently questioned her behavior more than once, especially after she realized he wasn't sleeping well.

She had started staying up with him, never asking why he couldn't sleep, simply waiting patiently for him to decide if he wanted to talk about it. Eventually he had, though it had taken him nearly eight months. She had listen quietly as she held his hand in her smaller one. When he was finished she had wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek when he finally managed to pry his arms from around her. It had been the first time in years he had felt like he could breathe. Since then he had relaxed considerably. He still had nightmares on occasion but the guilt he had been carrying with him for so long wasn't strangling the life out of him anymore.

He found out a few weeks later that he wasn't the only one she had been watching with those sky blue eyes. Glitch and Raw had found themselves in her calming presence nearly as often as he had. The Furball told him she had been helping him with Kalm whenever she had a free moment and then the Headcase had started babbling about her idea to get his brain back in his head one night at dinner. He wasn't sure when she'd had time to work that out but he'd be damned if she hadn't.

He'd started watching her more closely then. He'd always kept an eye on her but he had questioned his own attentiveness three days in. The girl wasn't sleeping more than three or four hours a night. She skipped meals regularly and was doing more in a day than she should have been even if she had been eating and sleeping like a normal person. When he confronted her about it she had given him an innocent smile and told him that she'd simply been busy that week. The girl had flat out lied to his face. By the time he had processed that innocent little DG was as honest as any longcoat he had ever encountered she had vanished to attend a lesson with Tutor.

When her parents had told her that it would be in the realms best interest for her to heal what parts of it she could she had smiled brightly and agreed to do what she could. The moment he could he volunteered to go with her. If he didn't she was going to kill herself. He had started to recognize the signs of self-punishment she was displaying. He was pretty sure she was trying to make up for something that had never been her fault, or even within her control.

He was afraid to know how far she was going to go with it after seeing what she was capable of doing in the past. She was stubborn. She was tenacious. And she was hell bent on making everything right again. He had begun to suspect that somehow, in her mind, that idyllic right didn't include her anywhere in the picture. Once that realization had dawned on him real fear had set in. He was afraid to leave her alone for any stretch of time. He wasn't sure what she was going to do and he cared about her too much to let her do anything stupid.

So he had made her pace herself over the last month. Two days into the trip and she had started fighting him. If he hadn't been ready for it he would have lost his temper. He found out pretty fast that the princess knew how to fight dirty. She had snuck off three times in the first week they were in the orchard to heal the trees when he was sleeping. Poor kid didn't realize he was more than capable of fighting dirty too. He started sleeping closer to her and put up small sound traps so he would hear her when she got up. The fourth time he had caught her and told her firmly to go back to sleep she had started fuming.

Apparently it wasn't funny to her after that. The shouting match that had followed had her storming away from him as her magic started fanning out of her control. He gave her ten minutes to cool off before going after her. She was sitting at the base of a tree with her eyes closed as she tried to rein her light back under control. He had sat down beside her and thrown his arm over her shoulders. When she tried to shrug him off he had held on and pressed a quick kiss to her temple before telling her he could wait for her to talk too. She had slumped and nodded without opening her eyes. DG hadn't mentioned the incident since then but she hadn't fought him much after it either.

At least not until now. Now she was fighting tooth and nail to keep herself quiet. "You're goin' to make it worse if you try to stop it."

"It can't get worse." She pushed at him as if he were going to let her go somewhere.

"Believe me it can." He never stopped stroking her back. "Eventually you're goin' to have to stop fightin'."

She was nearly gagging on her tears. "Fine! Let me go to the truck!"

He frowned. She wasn't trying to keep herself from crying. She was trying to keep herself from crying in front of him. "There's no shame in grievin'." One final shudder ran down her before she gave in and pressed her face into his chest as she bawled. The last time he had comforted a crying woman had been a lifetime ago. When the princess was in that cave it had been Raw that had gone to her. Now he had her clinging to him while she convulsed and all he could think to do was to keep her as close as possible. When the sobs didn't let up he slid her up so she could hear him as he whispered soothingly in her ear. All he could think to tell her that was true was that she was safe with him and he wasn't going anywhere. He thought that might have helped since she buried herself closer to him and her hitching sobs lessened, but he wasn't sure, maybe she had simply run out of steam.

His hand snuck under her hair and he worked his fingers into her stiff muscles. After a long while she stopped crying and simply lay against him trembling badly. "Try to relax, Darlin'."

She moved her head away from his neck and stared at his vest. He wiped her tears away and leaned down so he could press his lips against her forehead. Blue eyes wandered up to his and he tickled her cheek as he rested his head against hers trying to convey his concern without words. A moment later and he realized words might have been a better idea.

Her hand slid from his chest to the back of his neck as she tilted her head up and pressed her lips against his. His body reacted to her before his brain could. He groaned and the hand he had against her back pressed her closer. The moment he reacted she shoved him onto his back and straddled him. She had deepened the kiss and begun grinding her hips against his before he snapped back to reality. Grabbing her wrists he flipped them over and ripped his mouth from hers. His heart was beating hard as he stared down at her and she wrapped her leg over his hip forcing him more snuggly between her thighs.

Fighting back another groan he tightened his grip on her arms and tried to drag his brain out of the fog she had thrown him in. He may have wanted her. If he was honest with himself he had more than wanted her for some time. He wanted her in all the ways he had ever wanted a woman, but this wasn't right. This wasn't how they were supposed to start. Not with tears still fresh on her cheeks and her desperate for him to make everything or anything stop hurting. "Stop." He ordered her gruffly.

The princess froze below him and suddenly the only sound in the tent was the sound of her ragged breathing and the increasing downpour outside. Her leg fell back to the ground and humiliation was evident in her eyes. He opened his mouth to reassure her, knowing she wasn't thinking straight, when she wrenched her body hard and somehow managed to throw him to his side. DG was out of the tent before he could figure out what had happened.

"Wait a…" Sitting up quickly he pulled the tent flap back in time to see the door of the truck slam closed. Considering her hiding place for a second he sighed and walked into the rain after her. He was soaked through before he reached the handle on the door. Opening it up he saw her tear stained face hidden in her arms as she pressed her small body up against the far side of the cab. The kid was curled up so tightly he was afraid she was going to slip between the small crack between the seat and the door.

She began to shake noticeable harder when he shut the door behind him. Sweeping his eyes over her his heart contracted painfully. DG was terrified. Of him. The girl was trying to melt even farther back into the bench as he sat there. "Deeg." He kept his voice soft as he slowly reached out toward her. He needed to coax her back out to him.

The moment his fingers brushed her wet arm she whimpered, unable to get any farther away from him. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything to be sorry for." The kid shook her head violently into her arms. Frowning, he slid an inch closer to her. "Princess?"

"Please don't call me that." Her voice was broken. She was broken. "Please. Anything but that."

"Alright, DG." He pushed her wet hair behind her ears. "Will you come back to the tent? We need to get you dry."

"No."

Struggling to not grab her and haul her back he tried to reason with her. Getting into a fight with her now would be pointless. She was upset and he knew the only reason he was even considering manhandling her was because he didn't know what to do with her. DG wasn't acting anything like she should. His kid didn't run from him. His kid wasn't afraid of him. His kid took care of herself without question or fail. He found himself reacting to the woman in front of him in a way he never would have with his happy princess. All he wanted to do was drag her to the closest warm place and hold her until the hurt stopped.

"You're goin' to get sick." Silence was his only answer and he pushed forward gently. "Come on, Darlin'. We can't stay in here all night."

The door on his side of the truck suddenly sprang open and he jumped as his head spun around. When he saw nothing but the rain he glanced back over at her. She had opened it for him with her magic while making no move to leave. That wasn't all that subtle. If she thought he was goin' to leave her out here while he retreated to the tent she was out of her head. This couldn't keep happening. They were having this out right now no matter how bad the timing was. Maybe her emotional blow would make her a bit more honest than she had been before. With a growl of frustration he wrapped an arm around her and started dragging her over the worn leather toward the downpour.

"Leave me alone, Cain." She jerked back toward her corner and he barked at her sudden dash for safety.

"I've had enough of this from you." His boots hit the mud and he tossed her over his shoulder as he kicked the door shut. She twisted and he tightened his grip as he took four more steps to the tent and tossed her inside. The princess hit the sleeping bags and slid a few inches as he crouched down and entered the tent behind her. Her shock over his behavior had her frozen where she landed as he closed the tent flap firmly. Once it was secure he sat down and glared at her. "I'm not leaving you alone anymore. You've had nearly a year to be alone. You've done a mighty fine job of it too. Not many people could hide it near as well as you can."

"What are you talking-"

He cut her off. "And now you know your parents are gone too." Tears welled up in her eyes again and he fought back the nearly overwhelming guilt that hit him. He needed to get through to her but this was downright unpleasant. "How long do you think you're goin' to be able to keep this up, Deeg? You don't eat, you don't sleep, and you drain yourself on a nearly daily basis. You're working on projects you have no business being part of and I've seen you using what energy you somehow manage to dig up tryin' to put everyone else's lives back together. Eventually you're goin' to break down or kill yourself." She dropped her eyes and he reached out and forced her head up so she couldn't look away. "Is that what you've been tryin' to do?"

When she tried to scramble away he roughly grabbed her neck with his free hand and held her still as his eyes narrowed. Her breathing grew erratic as words tumbled from her mouth. "I'm just trying to make everything better!"

He locked his eyes with her so nothing would get lost. "They are better! They've been better since you killed the witch! What are you doin', Deeg?" Her eyes darted around the tent as she looked for a way to escape and he shook her. "Answer me!" His voice cracked over her harshly and she dragged her defiant streak out from wherever it had been hiding for the last several hours.

"Leaving!" His grip loosened in surprise and she threw herself away from him as she panted. "I can't go until everything is fixed!"

"What?" He felt as if she had sucker punched him.

Turning her head away from him she continued quietly. "What do you want me to tell you? That I can't sleep because all I can dream about is the witch and the memories I lost? That my magic is out of control and if I don't drain myself I start to blow things up on accident? That my sister is afraid of me? That my real parents don't know what to do with me? That you lost your wife and barely know your own son because you were trying to stop what I let loose? That Glitch was held down and tortured because of me? That Raw lost nearly half his tribe because I couldn't control myself?"

"You were six!"

"I knew better!" Her blue eyes flashed to his and he saw such self-loathing there that he wanted to shout at her. "I can't go back and undo it!" As quickly as her anger rose up it fell back down. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't listen to Az." Tears started falling again and her words began to thicken. "I'm sorry I never listen." Her legs came up and she gripped her pants. "Why can't I listen? What's wrong with me? How do I manage to ruin everything no matter where I go?" He wondered what she thought she had done in her life on the Otherside for that to come out as he reached out and pulled her against his chest.

"There's nothing wrong with you." Now that he knew what had been bothering her so badly he felt better equipped to deal with the situation. "You were curious." When she started to shake her head he sighed and tangled his hand in her wet hair. They were going to have to get out of these clothes soon. He was starting to feel a chill and he knew she was wetter than he was. "You heard someone cryin' and tried to help them. The same way you helped Furball and me. It wasn't your fault that your parents weren't watchin' you or that a woman with at least thirty times your life experience tricked you. You were a child, Darlin'. One that wanted to keep a stranger safe. It's not your fault that she took advantage."

"I let her get Az." He hadn't thought she had any more tears in her as she buried her face against his soaked vest. "I let her take my sister when I was the one that set her free."

"She grabbed the first one of you she could. It could have been you just as easily." Pressing closer to him he rested his forehead on the top of her head. "Oh, Darlin'. You can't go blamin' yourself for what someone else did. It's over now. You did what no one else could. You fought her and won. You saved all of us."

"It doesn't feel that way."

He sighed into her dark curls. "No, I suppose it doesn't. Some things are goin' to take longer to feel right than others. Some things won't ever feel right at all. That's how it goes, but you need to know I'll be here. Just like Glitch and Raw." She nodded silently and he struggled internally for a few moments. "I don't want you to leave, Deeg."

"I don't know what to do if I stay."

"Do you know what to do if you leave?"

There was a pause before she answered. "No."

"Then it seems to me like you should probably stick with me for a while then."

When she spoke there was such exhaustion in her voice. "I'm tired, Cain."

That hadn't been the promise to stay he had been waiting for but he wasn't sure how much more pushing she could take. "I know." Reaching to the side he dragged their packs over. "Change into something dry and then you can sleep for as long as you want."

Sitting back she took her bag and dug around for a moment before finding fresh set of clothes. Turning his back he waited as she tossed her wet clothes away and settled back under his duster when she had changed. Moving swiftly he followed her example as she stared at the inside of tent. Lying back down next to her he wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her back against his chest. Her body was stiff as a board and he whispered low into her hair. "Sleep, Sweetheart. We'll work everything out when we get back to the shinnin' city."

His words were met with nothing but silence, and despite her honest declaration of weariness she lay awake for a long time. Eventually he reached up and began to stroke her hair soothingly. When his fingers accidentally brushed against her cheek he felt her lean slightly into his touch before she caught herself and turned her head back into the blankets. Struggling with guilt, want, and worry he shifted until his chin was over the crown of her head. A small tremor passed through her and he curled up around her. She needed to rest and he knew she needed space from what had happened before he tried to broach this subject with her.

DG deserved attention and honesty. He could do that for her once she had come to terms with what she had learned. First he had to get her home. He'd work out the rest in the morning.

Author Note: Ok. I know I'm a bad author. I haven't posted, this isn't Emerald Shield, and my responses to your reviews have been non-existent. My only excuse is that life turned into a freight train and hit me. Between school, a life re-evaluation, getting ready to move, and a sudden need to write a book I've gone insane (Well, more insane). I really am going to try to get stuff written for you guys on a more regular basis now that my finals are done but after my epic fail at writing the next chapter of Emerald Shield I am no longer making promises about how soon that will be. Hokay. Leave me one!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Twiddles thumbs in thought. Nope, not mine.

The sound of songbirds woke him up. Opening his eyes he let out a low sigh at the predawn light that was starting to filter through the waterproof fabric of the tent. Morning meant they needed to get back to the city. His eyes fell on the kid below his arm and he stayed still. He had promised her she could sleep. He wasn't going to break his promise, especially when she needed the sleep so badly. Even in the low light he could see dark circles under her eyes. She didn't feel bad pressed up against him either.

Trying to figure out how to get up without jostling her awake before he made a fool of himself, he was startled into freezing when she whimpered and began to curl up. Her arm flew over her head and her breathing shallowed dramatically. "DG?" She mumbled something that got lost against the blankets and began to shiver. Taking hold of her shoulder he shook her. He more worried about her fear than breaking his promise now. "Kiddo, wake up."

Her body jerked violently as she was thrown into wakefulness. "What?" She began to push herself up as her head whipped around to take in the tent as her hands flared with light. "What's the matter?"

He gazed at her face as her confused eyes found his. "Are you ok?"

DG's bleary eyes were disappointed as she began to drag herself up. "You said I could sleep." Reaching for her boots she scooted away from him and began to tug them on tiredly.

"You were havin' a nightmare."

"I always have nightmares." Finished with her shoes she grabbed her pack, opened the tent, and stepped into the early morning sun. Understanding dawned as he watched her leave. No wonder she kept sneaking off in the fields. She hadn't wanted him to hear her fighting the ghosts of her past anymore than he had wanted her to hear him fight his. As he began to roll up their blankets he wondered if she had really been sleeping when they were in the fields or if she had been humoring him by lying still until he woke up. Judging by her appearance he would bet it was the later.

Despite all his efforts she hadn't been resting at all. Once again she had fooled him into thinking she was coping. He could have punched something. Years as a street cop followed by several more as a detective and then a resistance spy and he hadn't worked this out? How in Ozma's name could the girl fool everyone so easily? How was she fooling him when he was specifically watching her for signs of pain or overwork?

By the time he was finished packing the rest of their things DG had already cleared the campsite and secured her own things in the truck. Walking over to him she picked up his things as he began to dismantle the tent. He noticed she didn't make eye contact with him and she wasn't chatting his ear off as she usually did. While she was tying the blankets down he stepped next to her to put the tent in the back. He brushed her arm slightly with his own, a common occurrence between them, and she stepped away immediately. Watching her out of the corner of his eye he saw her slide into the truck and shut the door as she waited for him to finish.

Damn. She was on the run and he knew it. Walking around to his own door he pulled the key out of his pocket and got in the truck. Starting the ignition he looked over to find the girl staring out the window listlessly. Desperate to break the unusual silence he turned the truck around as he spoke. "Are you ready to go home, Kid?" Remembering her tearful request from last night he avoid using her title.

"Sure, Cain." Judging by the sound of her voice he wasn't all that sure she was even listening to him.

His eyes darted to her again as he pulled back onto the brick route. Debating with himself over the wisdom of bringing up last night he gave in. This was DG. She preferred it when people were straightforward with her. That was one of the reasons they got on so well. "Kid, I know you're upset."

"Don't."

Taking his eyes off the road he stared at her. "Deeg-"

She never looked toward him. "Leave it. It was a mistake. We don't need to talk about it."

He wasn't entirely sure what part of yesterday she was talking about. A lot of things had gone wrong. That didn't mean they weren't going to discuss them at some point. With a sigh he turned back to the road in front of him and continued to drive. The silence stretched on endlessly with the kid simply sitting as far from him as possible. As eerie as her behavior was, and he was going to have to address it soon, it did give him time to think about what to do.

Tapping his fingers distractedly on the wheel his mind began to spin. The best thing for the girl was to get her out of the city for a while. If she stayed she'd have the perfect excuse to continue to run herself into the ground. DG would be able to sneak away from him without even trying and he wasn't going to let her do that anymore. The only real reason for her to stay was to continue her magic lessons and she had already told him they didn't appear to be helping her at all. He needed to talk to the pooch about that before they left.

By the time they pulled through the main gates to Central City he thought his idea would work. By the time he rolled inside the palace courtyard he had all the details worked out. He had a feeling the princess wasn't going to like a lot of things about it but if he got through to her it would be worth it in the end. They could leave in the morning if he went about this the right way. As soon as the truck came to a stop the kid had opened her door and headed straight to their gear. Grabbing her pack she threw it over her shoulder, ignoring the fact that any of the palace staff would do it for her, and headed for the doors as he tried to catch up to her without looking like he was trailing her like a starving papay.

The kid was halfway up a set of stairs when Ahamo came around the corner beaming. He had no doubt the guards at the front gates had called ahead to let the queen and consort know that their daughter was back. Under normal circumstances he was sure she would have been pleased to see her real father. She and Ahamo got on well and she had started going to her father on the occasions he simply couldn't answer one of her questions. They had formed a relatively strong bond considering the length of time they had been separated and the circumstances behind it.

"Spitfire!" DG glanced up at his happy call and continued on her way with a blank face. His own eyes frosted over in anger as she nodded once to the consort in acknowledgement and turned down the hall toward her rooms. "DG?" The man faltered at her abrupt behavior.

"Ahamo." The kid didn't look back as she continued on her way.

Her father took a step after her as he hit the bottom of the stairs behind them. "DG, are you all right?"

"Yes."

Ahamo's eyes swept toward him and the man faltered at his icy glare. He hissed under his breath as he made it to the top of the staircase. "What's going on?" Seeing Deeg turn the corner he acted quickly.

Grabbing the man's collar he drove him against the wall and held him still. He didn't want anything to get lost in the conversation. "You should know. Why didn't you tell her what happened to her parents?"

The consort sucked in a sharp breath before regaining control. "Why did you go to Milltown?"

"So she could see her family!" He hissed as he shook the other man. "What's the matter with you?"

"She had enough to worry about. We thought they could be repaired."

He growled as he twisted his hand and began to cut off Ahamo's air supply. He hadn't been this angry since he had Zero in Jeb's camp. "And how long have you known they couldn't be fixed?"

The consort moved quickly and he was reminded that he had once been the infamous seeker. Grabbing his wrist he twisted it in just the right way to make him let go before shoving him away. "It's not your concern, Cain. I'll go talk to her."

His anger went from cold to hot in an instant. "DG was my concern long before she found you."

The anger drained out of the consort and he ran a hand through his shaggy hair. "I appreciate that you're worried, Cain. I'll talk to her. I'll make sure she's ok."

He lost his temper. "She's not ok!" His enraged shout echoed around the narrow hall. "She hasn't been ok in months! She was already on the edge and then you let this happen? What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I should keep my daughter safe!" They were both shouting now.

"You can't keep her away from life! All you're doin' is making it ten times worse when she stumbles over the answers she's looking for!"

"Then what should I have done? How should I have told her that the only thing she had left from her childhood was gone forever?"

He could think of at least a dozen ways off the top of his head. "Anything would have been better than letting her wonder into Milltown and finding them like that!"

"I never would have let her do that!"

"No. You'd just as soon take the chance that she'd never go lookin' for 'em or lied and told her you needed her somewhere else to distract her." He growled as he turned to go after her, his voice dropping to its normal level. "I'm takin' her to Finaqua. If you want to say goodbye you have until first light tomorrow."

"What do mean you're taking her?" Ahamo clearly didn't like this plan. He didn't give a rat's ass.

"DG can't stay here anymore. She needs a break."

"How long of a break?"

He wasn't going to give her a time limit to heal. The kid had done more than enough in the last twelve months to earn herself as much time as she needed. "Until I think she's ready to come back."

"The realm can't afford to have her gone."

He whirled around. "The kid's coming with me. If she doesn't she won't make it more than a couple months at the rate she's goin'."

"What are you talking about?"

He didn't dignify that with a response as he left the consort in the hall. He needed to find the girl. His anger was spiking and dropping as he walked through the palace. It wasn't that he thought the royal couple were bad parents but they didn't think things through most of the time. At least not when DG was involved. He was sure they thought she was fine, just as he had, and spent most of their energy on Azkadilla as she started living without the witch possessing her. He knew the older princess had her own problems, and she was copping better than he thought most people could, but would it have hurt them to spend more time with Deeg?

Not that the kid actively went looking for attention. If she knew her parents were dealing with her sister, or in a meeting, or doing one of the hundred other things they were doing to fix the realm she would find something else to occupy her time. She did that with everyone. That was something else they could discuss on her vacation. He needed to be sure she knew to come to someone if she needed help no matter what was happening.

Rounding the corner that led to her suite he found the doors closed and an anxious viewer pacing agitatedly outside of them. Raw let out a low growl when he saw him coming closer. "Princess very upset. Not talking. Hurting. Guilty. In pain. Raw could feel from gardens." The viewer must have felt his own rage because he frowned and edged closer to the door and the girl hiding inside. "Must know what is wrong."

"The witch destroyed her nurture units memories. They don't know who she is."

Raw's eyes flashed with compassion before they were fixed on the door. "Cain must not interfere with Raw's gift. Must have promise."

"Why?" His voice had sharpened at the viewers determined demeanor.

"Raw thought trip would help DG. Cain not only one that worried. When leaving DG was calmer. Tin man sooths. Thought better when come back. This has not happen." He began to sway slightly. "Peace in princess fragile. Has broken now. Too tired to keep going but cannot rest. Raw will fix for the night."

"You're goin' to knock her out?" He didn't know a viewer could do that to a person. If he didn't know Furball would never hurt her he would have shot him on sight for thinking about using his gift like that. "Will it hurt her?"

"DG will resist. Will take much effort from Raw but will not injure."

He nodded in understanding. He was sure her stubborn streak would kick in once she realized the viewer was trying to make her do something she didn't want to do. This was going to be a spectacular battle of wills. When she woke up she was going to go off the handle. He'd worry about that after she woke up. "Alright, Furball. Let's see what you can do."

With a nod the viewer tapped on the door. Shockingly there was no answer. Furball seemed less than concerned with this. "DG?"

He was impressed with how steady her voice was. "I'm about to get in the bath. Can we talk later?"

"Sister DG needs to open door." His eyebrows shot up at the address but as promised he stayed quiet.

Soft footfall approached the door before it cracked open. Blue eyes fell on the viewer then darted to him. "I-"

"DG." Her eyes flew back to the viewer as his voice dropped hypnotically. "Let in now."

Her eyes glazed over as if she'd had too much to drink and she stepped back slowly so they could get in. Raw never broke eye contact as the two of them moved farther into the room. He followed quietly, shutting the door behind him. Despite his worry over the whole situation, and his conscious kicking him in the head for using her trust in such a way, he found this fascinating. "Princess tired."

Those words had her shuddering. Shaking her head she stumbled slightly as she began to come out of her daze. "DG, Furball." Muttering under his breath he tried to help the viewer. "Use her name."

Raw corrected himself immediately. "DG."

Making an inarticulate sound she began to mumble. "What are you doing to me?"

"Raw helping."

"Stop. I don't like this."

"Raw promise DG feel better if let Raw help."

A tear slipped down her cheek. "Please." He couldn't tell if she was begging him to stop or help her.

The viewer began to hum as he advanced on her. The kid stood where she was staring blankly at her friend. "Still fighting. Why?"

"I can't do this." Her voice was oddly dreamy as she answered him.

"DG can't do what?" He started circling around the viewer so he could get closer to her. With the way her body was starting to relax he was afraid she was going to collapse. When she didn't answer Raw repeated the question and the hair on the nape of his neck stood up. He could actually feel the viewer's gift rolling out of his fur. "What can DG not do?"

"Belong." He frowned as he positioned himself at her shoulder.

Raw was as confused as he was. "DG always belonged."

"No." Wobbling badly he held his arms out, ready to catch her, when she regained her balance. "I'm useful. I'm good at being useful. I fix things."

The viewer growled in agreement. "DG is good at this. Can fix hearts as well as machines. Raw does not understand sadness."

"People throw things away when they stop being useful."

He closed his eyes as another wave of rage hit him. Giving in to it he asked her a question before Raw could stop him. "You want to leave before you can be thrown away don't you?"

"It hurts less that way."

Stepping up to her Raw placed his gloved hand on her cheek. "DG will not be thrown away."

"I will. Ahamo and Lavender already started sending me away. I can't do anything else here after Glitch's brain is back in. I won't be queen. Once the realm is healed they won't ask me to come back."

"This is not true. Parents love DG."

"My parents are gone."

The kid didn't even think of the queen and consort as her parents. She was starting to shake again and he looked over her shoulder at the viewer. She was trying to fight again and he knew the viewer was hitting places inside her she didn't like to examine often. "That's enough. This isn't fair, Furball."

Raw seemed to agree and took his hand off her cheek before placing two fingers on her forehead. "Sleep." Her legs gave out from under her as her eyes dropped closed. Catching her as she fell he picked her up and headed toward her bedroom. Reaching the bed he balanced her carefully as he pulled the blankets down. Laying her over the sheets he quickly unlaced her boots and kicked them under the bed.

Brushing her hair away from her face he reached over and covered her with a blanket as he watched her breathing deeply. Raw came up next to him and sighed tiredly. Glancing over at the other man he noticed the set to his shoulders and realized how much that must have taken out of him. "Unexpected answers. Raw will stay. Keep dreams away while Cain makes plans and talks to son."

He was loath to leave her even with the viewer next to her. He did have things that needed to be done though. "Ok. I'll be back soon."

"Raw know tin man worried. Plan is good. Should sleep while can." Raw picked a chair out and began to drag it over the carpet. "Will need rest before go. DG will be difficult in morning."

"No kiddin'." He saw the logic in what the other man said even if he didn't like it. He had been with the kid constantly for the last month and had gotten used to her presence. He wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep without the steady sound of her breathing near him but he would try. "Thanks, Furball. I'll see you in the mornin'."

"When suns rise."

With a last look at Deeg he headed toward the hall. After he talked to Jeb he was having a meeting with Tutor. Then he would have the supplies put in the truck. He rubbed his neck trying to work out a kink. The next few days were going to be hell and he knew it. He'd probably be lucky if the kid didn't blow him up.

Author Note: I wrote a new chapter to celebrate the end of my semester! Yay!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Tin Man isn't mine.

He had to ask three guards and a steward for directions to his son before he found him. Jeb was on the move today and he was efficient. That meant he did what he needed to and moved on immediately. While he was extremely proud of how well his son did his job, and more than impressed with his results and the respect he had earned, it did make tracking him down a daunting task. After making an entire circuit of the palace after him he found Jeb in his office flipping through reports at a fast pace. Next time he would wait here until the boy got back. It would save him a lot of legwork and he'd probably find him in the same amount of time.

Blue eyes that reminded him of Adora flashed up from the pile of paper. Jeb gave him a crooked smile and stood up when he recognized him. "Hey, dad. You're back early."

"Jeb." He hugged his son before leaning back and patting his shoulder. Looking him over briefly to make sure he was in no way injured, sick, overworked, or hungry he smiled. "How are you?"

His son sighed before plopping back down behind his desk. "Short staffed and busy but otherwise fine. When the queen told me I should consider getting an aide when I started I thought she was crazy. Now I'm thinking it was some of the best advise I've ever received. I'm going to see if Claire wants to move inside to help instead of training new soldiers. I can trust her with what's going on assuming she doesn't get cabin fever in the palace and kill us all." His lip twitched at Jeb's rambling.

The young captain he was talking about was a good choice for a second. Hell, she'd been Jeb's second for as long as he'd run his resistance cell. When they had been reassigned both of them had seemed at loose ends for a few weeks while they readjusted. Claire was a good fighter and he had never seen anyone better able to snap overconfident recruits in line faster than she could. She had nearly killed two of them when they mouthed off. At the time he, Jeb, Deeg, and the Headcase had been watching from the window. The kid had started giggling uncontrollably when the redhead had laid them out faster than they could blink and the rest of the men and women there had backed up several feet to avoid the knives that had suddenly appeared in her hands. Jeb had smirked and said something along the lines of 'upstarts' before wandering away.

"If it makes any difference I think that would be a good idea. If you're worried about someone trying to stop you from reassigning her I wouldn't. You are the general after all."

His son shook his head distractedly. He wasn't sure he was used to the title yet. "How are the Fields?"

"They're healed."

Jeb raised an eyebrow. "That's good but you don't seem happy. Did something happen?"

He'd give his son credit for picking up on his mood so fast. With a sigh he tossed his hat on one of the two chairs in front of the desk and sat in the other one. "Yes, something happened." The only thing he regretted about his idea was that he would be away from his son. Again. It didn't really matter that he was full grown and the head of the Ozian military. It was Jeb and he missed his boy when he was away from him. He had the feeling it was the same with every parent. "I need to leave again tomorrow. I don't know for how long."

Jeb nodded in acceptance but he could have sworn he saw discontentment race over his face. As much responsibility as the young man had he was only eighteen. A man that age needed family around and he knew it. Another pang of guilt hit him and he knew he was going to need to explain himself. "I see."

"I'm sorry, Jeb. I wouldn't be going unless this was important and I know you can't leave right now. I'd prefer it if you could come."

His son gave him a reassuring smile and he felt slightly better. "I'm sure it is. You weren't exactly keen to leave last month. Where are you going?"

"Finaqua."

"Finaqua? What do you need to do there? No one can even get into that place now that the maze is alive again. It keeps spitting people back out after they get lost in it." That had been a fun report to listen to. If it hadn't been given by one of the men that had served under Jeb before the witch was killed he wasn't sure he would have believed it. The man had tried to get inside five times before giving up. He wasn't sure he would have tried again after being spun around by a bush and tossed unceremoniously on his ass more than once but the man had tried to follow orders.

It didn't seem likely that it would do that to the woman that restored it. "I'm takin' DG there for a while."

If he hadn't been so well trained he wouldn't have seen the suspicion in the boy's eyes. "Did she miss fixing something?"

"No."

The general tapped his finger on his thigh. "Alright, what's going on? You're being evasive and you don't do that with me."

"The kid had a rough day yesterday. I'm takin' her there to rest for a bit."

The suspicion was replaced with a certain amount of understanding. "You should have taken her six months ago when her nightmares started."

"What?"

"I didn't think she'd told you. I told her she should talk to someone but the princess is even more stubborn than you are. Its pretty amazing."

Wait a second. "She told you?"

"Not really, but there wasn't any other reason for her to be up at all hours of the night. I grew up in rebel camps. You learn to tell who was avoiding sleep after a while." His son shrugged. "She taught me to play an Otherside game called chess one night when she wandered by and saw me in here looking at maps. She said I worked too much."

He agreed with her. "That's true."

His son rolled his eyes. "At any rate a few weeks later I told her she should go see you or Raw no matter how much I enjoyed beating her at her own game." A smile tugged at his lips briefly at the scene his son was describing before it faded away. "The princess told me she didn't want to bother anyone."

"Of course she did. Why didn't you tell me?"

Jeb sighed. "Dad, how could I have done that? Ignoring the fact that you were adjusting to being out of the suit and grieving for mom I wasn't going to out her. She was ashamed, I could tell. I wasn't going to breach her trust. I thought she'd done enough for us that she deserved privacy if that was what she wanted."

"I'm not denyin' she saved the realm-"

"Not the realm, Dad." His son's blue eyes locked with his. "_Us_. She put our family back together. After that I would do substantially more for her than keep a secret about some nightmares." Jeb glanced over at a large map that took up a whole wall of the room. "Maybe that wasn't the best thing to do but it's what she wanted."

His son was a damn good man. "You're better than you have any right to be."

His eyes came back. "Dad, just because you were gone it doesn't mean I forgot what you taught me."

"Much better." His voice was gruff as he watched his son. The overwhelming feeling of love that he had tried so hard to repress in the suit rolled through him again. It never failed. No matter how often he thought he was used to having his son back again this feeling always snuck up on him. "Do you need anything before we go?"

"I have to finish here but are you free for dinner? It'd be nice to visit before you leave."

"When?"

His son eyed the clock on his desk. "Three hours?"

"Alright." He stood up and set his hat back on his head. "You can tell me what's been goin' on here while I was gone."

The general's eyes sparked with glee and he was almost afraid to know what stories he had to tell. "Then again maybe it's best I don't know." His son's chuckle followed him out of the room as he made a left toward the library. The mutt usually lost himself in there for at least part of the day.

Sure enough he found Tutor at the top of a fifteen foot wheeled ladder rummaging about a high shelf. He was humming a senseless tune as he read the spine of an ancient looking tome. Quirking up an eyebrow he pushed his hat back as he tilted his head up and leaned against the heavy bookcase.

Feeling a tad evil he bark up at the man loudly. "A word, Tutor?" The dark skinned man dropped the book at the sudden call and he reached out and caught it deftly as it came down. He chuckled at the older man's reaction. He took perverse delight in harassing the girl's teacher. He figured it had something to do with those disks he had decided to drop on their whirlwind flight across the realm. He never had fully forgiven the man for that even if he understood why he had done it. While the mage may have bought them some time he should have told them what was going on. He had rarely seen Deeg that upset when she found out and he had been close to killing him. "You really aren't good at holding onto things are you?"

"It's nice to see you as well, Cain." The man began to descend the ladder slowly as he inspected the book the other man had been looking at. It was a thin volume of faded blue leather and looked utterly boring in everyway. The mutt was reading about the ancient practices of merpeople. How practical. "What can I do for you?"

"I have a question about magic and wouldn't you know that's the subject you teach?"

"That is terribly convenient for you." He began to brush some lint off his vest as he puffed out a question. "What is it you need to know?"

"I need to know why despite nearly a year of training with you the only way Deeg can control her magic is my draining herself to the point of collapse."

Black eyes shot up from the embroidered fabric. "That's nonsense. The princess is doing very well considering how long her magic has been repressed."

Yup, the girl was doing fine. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well-" Tutor rolled a few thoughts around. "Most mages that don't use their magic lose the ability after a period of time. I don't doubt that the realm lost quite a few with that ability during the witch's reign. There's a reason they test for it in schools and why the queen and consort are setting up that program again so quickly."

He nodded remembering being tested himself. One girl, a friend of Adora's, had been identified as having water magic when she was fourteen and had been sent to a different part of the realm so she could apprentice. Having magic was a talent the realm took seriously. If you were found to have a gift, no matter what type, your schooling would be paid for and you would be allowed to choose where you wanted to work when you were done. It was a huge honor to have a mage in the family; at least it was before the witch took control. Then anyone with magic and sense fled the country or went into hiding. The witch hadn't liked competition and she had proven it in a series of raids and executions for the men and women that weren't fast enough or lucky enough to get away before her soldiers got to them.

"The kid never used magic before. Why can she use hers so well?"

Tutor shook his head. "DG did use magic. The gift is so strong in the royal line her mother had me start teaching her when she was six. Once she accessed it, which I assure you is the hardest part, she showed great promise."

"At six?"

"Yes, she was better than most four year apprentices within a few weeks. I was very impressed. Then she was killed and sent over."

"Where her magic was dormant for over ten years. What would that do to her?"

"It hasn't done anything to her."

He resisted the urge to smack the older man upside the head. "She told me she's blowing things up when she isn't drained."

"Are you sure?" He stared evenly at him. With a sigh Tutor crossed his arms. "Theoretically I suppose the magic that blocked her memory also blocked her magic from coming out. Since her magic began to manifest at the same time her memories came back it may be that her light continued to build at the rate it would have if she had remained in training and now it is beyond her control."

"Like a dam breaking?"

"That's as good an analogy as any. I would think after a time she should be able to reinforce her barriers, or in your metaphor patch up the dam, and stabilize."

"How long is that goin' to take?"

"Weeks, months, years?" The pooch shook his head. "I have no idea. I've never heard of anything like this happening to someone with magic before. I don't understand how she managed to keep that from me during her lessons."

"Was she usin' all her magic when you were teachin' her?"

"Of course, she was very focused."

Tapping his fingers on his holster he thought the pooch was awfully gullible. "That would be how she was doin' it. It's easy to hide a drain when your teacher is expectin' it."

"That's true enough. That was clever of her."

That was one of her traits. "Is there anything she can do to stop it, or at least manage it?"

"She could try meditation. I explained the principal to her but she didn't seem all that interested. I didn't see a point in dwelling on it at the time. You usually only do that when you can't get your magic to work but there is no reason to think it wouldn't be able to help her slow it down."

"She knows how to do that?"

"Yes. From what she told me she had been using a modified technique when she was living with her nurture units though she wasn't aware of it. She seemed surprised that she had been regulating her magic without knowing it."

"What was she doin'?" The only meditation he knew about was the kind Furball practiced and he had a feeling Deeg wasn't sitting peacefully in a trance. She wasn't the sit still type.

"Drawing."

"Drawing? How did that suppress her magic?"

"It put her mind into a state of extreme relaxation. You've seen Raw go into a trance before. She did the same thing except with paper and a pencil. I don't know what the princess was sketching but I'm not sure it matters. Once she gets in that particular state her light settles down." Tutor considered something for a moment. "If her magic was growing as much as I think it was she was probably spending several hours a day with her art."

"And she didn't know what she was doin'? How is that possible?"

"With no memory of who she was or that her magic was real it probably felt like a compulsion. Many artists and writers feel that way about their work. It wouldn't have been strange to her or her friends and the robots may have even encouraged it since they knew what she was."

More secrets. He shouldn't be surprised that she could keep them so well herself when everyone she had come in contact with before she was dropped here had lied to her on a daily basis. Still, this meeting had been helpful. He'd make sure she worked on this while they were away. "Thanks, Pooch."

"You're welcome." He turned back to the ladder. "I do wish she'd told me but I'll work on it with her when her lessons start up again tomorrow. If she relaxes this really shouldn't be anything to worry about." Right, if she relaxed. That was the whole problem right there. He wasn't even going to bother telling Tutor she wouldn't be attending lessons for a while. Let the pooch deal with that on his own time.

There was one more thing he needed to know before he could leave. "Do you know what types of art supplies she used?"

Tutor hummed in thought as he continued up the rungs. "In fact I do." The old man snapped his fingers and a flash of light burst over a nearby table. Walking over to it he found three different types of sketchpads, a box of pencils of differing thickness, a long case full of watercolors, and a few well made brushes.

He felt more favorable toward the mutt. "This saved me a trip into the city."

Tutor waved his hand. "Not a problem. When you give them to her make sure she starts back up with whatever she used to draw first. From there she should be able to branch out if she wants. Once she knows how to drop into meditation on purpose her subject won't matter."

"Huh." Gathering up the supplies he tucked them under his arm. "I'll let her know. Have fun with the merpeople."

Going to his own room he set the kids stuff down and sat at his desk. Grabbing a sheet of paper he began to make out a list of the supplies they would need to get before they left in the morning. Once he had a neatly written column he walked back into the hall and found the nearest steward. Having never lived or worked in the palace before he would freely admit that having people around to help you every now and then was extremely convenient when you had other things that needed to be done. Not that he took advantage of the men and women here but still. After requesting that the thing he asked for were put in the truck after it had been looked at by the palace staff, he retreated.

He was supposed to meet Jeb in an hour and he would rather not go any longer without washing the dust of the road off of him. He had missed indoor plumbing while they were away. Sinking into the hot water he let out a heartfelt sigh as he tried to relax. The last few days had been harder on him than he cared to admit to. A year ago he never would have thought that Deeg would ever affect him so strongly. Not that he was stupid. He knew the girl had more pull on him than most people did, even before he had been shoved in the suit, but this wasn't what he had been expecting.

He should have known better. The kid showed all the traits he had always found appealing in a woman. She was strong, determined, and quick witted. Add in the fact that he couldn't intimidate her and he might as well have thrown in the towel before the fight had started. He was hopeless when it came to the youngest princess and he wasn't sure she knew it. It was amazing that she could spot all the little things in people so easily and miss the big ones. It wasn't as if he had been hiding his affection for her. Then again no one else had been either and she misinterpreted that without an effort.

He would have to show her. That was a prospect he found more appealing than he thought he should. It should be fun drawing her out of her shell once she was feeling better. The hardest part would be getting her in the car tomorrow morning.

Author Note: I've got nothin' for you today. Leave me one!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I'm not saying it but I am watching it.

Getting up the next morning was not the most pleasant thing he had ever done. He had slept horribly. After returning from a very pleasant meal with his son he had tossed and turned for hours as he tried to ignore the absence of the small noises and movements of DG near him. Knowing she was going to be difficult in the morning had only made it that much harder to clear his mind and he had finally shoved a pillow over his head in frustration. When he woke up he had briefly flailed thinking he was being attacked when he encountered the same pillow resting over his face. Giving up on falling asleep again he bathed and dressed quickly before heading toward the kid's suite.

He had been hoping to get to the girl before she was fully awake. He had noticed on the few occasions when she actually slept longer than he did she was much easier to convince to do things when she was groggy. She wasn't quick to wake up unless her adrenaline was pumping and it gave him an advantage. It was a shame he didn't get up earlier is all. Who would have thought she would have been up before the suns were even thinking about it? He should have.

When he got to her rooms Raw was waiting in the hall for him. He quirked an eyebrow and waited to hear what had happened. The viewer was ruffled and his fur was sticking up oddly. He decided to look on the bright side. "You're alive. That has to be a good sign."

"Tin man more optimistic than when first met." He sighed knowing that wasn't the best thing the viewer could have said. "Not happy with Raw or Cain. Made Raw leave when awake then left after clean. Working on tank now."

"She kicked you out?"

It seemed Raw didn't know if he was terrified or annoyed by that turn of events. "Never been teleported before. Did not like. Will not make DG angry again."

The girl was more than unhappy with them if she used her magic on Furball. He wasn't sure she had ever used a spell on any of them and she was particularly patient with the gentle viewer. The Furball was probably lucky she hadn't singed his fur as well. "Alright. Can you make sure all our stuff is in the truck and pack her bag? I'll take care of the princess."

"Not sure Cain going to get DG in truck. Not sure Cain live if go after princess."

He wasn't afraid of the kid. She wouldn't hurt him and he knew it. "I'll get her there."

The viewer was unconvinced. "Never had princess angry with him before. Not like this. Cain not know what he is dealing with."

"The kid's not goin' to win this argument. Check on our supplies."

"Raw will do this. Hope to see tin man alive again."

Rolling his shoulders he headed toward the east tower thinking he should have taken the time to drink some coffee before finding the princess. Azkadilla had managed to move the tank with Ambrose's brain in it shortly after they got here and it had been under guard ever since. No one had been able to do anything with it until a few months back when Deeg had finally managed to figure out how the machine worked. She had been fixing it on and off ever since and from what he understood about it, which wasn't much, she was making more progress than all the alchemist the queen and consort had brought in to fix their advisor.

Glitch was ecstatic about the whole thing and he had led the eager man away to distract him more than once while she worked. As much as she loved the Headcase he knew he occasionally slowed her down when he tried to help. Not that she had ever complained or made any indication that she wanted him to leave but he could tell when she had needed space to get her work done. Now he was thinking he should have let Glitch stay with her at all times so she couldn't sink into her thoughts. Knowing what he did now it may have slowed down her plan to flee.

A soldier standing guard in front of the large room tilted his head in acknowledgement and opened the large doors when he touched the brim of his hat. He entered quietly and immediately spotted the Headcase leaning over a large metal generator as high as his chest as he animatedly talked to the floor on the other side of it. When he got close enough to hear the cheery man he was pleased to know he was actually talking to the princess. It wouldn't have been the first time he'd found him holding a conversation with an inanimate object.

Glitch was grinning as he spoke to her. "I simply don't understand why you insist on calling it that."

"Glitch, I told you. I have no idea why it's called a monkey wrench on the Otherside. I didn't name it." This must have been a conversation they'd had before.

"It seems silly is all." His dreaded head bobbed as he agreed with himself. "Do you have mechanical primates that require repair?"

"Not that I know of." He heard small clinking noises and assumed she was using the tool they were discussing. "We have normal monkeys."

"Are they as troublesome as ours?"

"Troublesome?" He heard her set the tool down. "No, how could a monkey be troublesome?"

Glitch chuckled as if she were the forgetful one. "Come on DG, you were picked up and delivered to the sorceress by them and they knocked Raw and I out. I do remember that."

She sighed. "Our monkeys aren't flying menaces of evil dictators. They don't have wings and they aren't that big."

"You mean on the Otherside they don't fly?"

Deeg muttered to herself. "This place is so weird." Her voice redirected upward. "No monkeys with wings in Kansas. Sorry, Glitch."

"How terribly odd."

"Yeah, clearly the non-flying monkeys are the odd balls of the animal kingdom." The Headcase grinned more widely, and glancing up, spotted him at last. "Good morning, Cain! Cain! Cain! Cain!"

Hitting the other man on the shoulder Glitch sighed and rubbed his arm. "I'll be happy when that stops happening."

"You'll have fewer bruises too." Moving so he could see over the generator he looked down and found Deeg working efficiently. She made no effort to recognize that he was there. "Are you at a place you can stop, Kiddo? We're leaving."

Her eyes came slowly up to his and he had to fight from retreating at the rage he saw in them. Even the man with half a brain could tell she was angry. It could have been the invisible waves of power coming off of her that tipped him off. He was fighting tooth and nail from backing up at the feeling of an enraged mage directing her power directly at him. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

He knew he appeared apologetic without trying. "Kid, I'm sorry about last night but-"

"Oh, you're sorry. That makes everything all better." Standing up she dropped her wrench in a toolbox. It hit with a clang and he winced as Glitch's head swiveled back and forth between them.

"We were worried about you."

Her shout echoed around the room. "You had no right to do that to me!"

"If you'd just told me what was the matter-"

"I didn't want to tell you! Why am I not allowed privacy in your mind?" Her eyes were flashing with anger, hurt, and betrayal. "I never once asked you anything about your past! Not once! I left you alone to decide! I never pushed! I respected your right to grieve the way you wanted and you go and have Raw rip into me like that? I hate you!"

His temper flared when she screamed that, mostly because he was afraid she at least half meant it at the moment. "Well I wasn't the one that was going to up and leave for no good reason!" He immediately knew that was the wrong thing to say. He wasn't thinking the way he should have been or he never would have started yelling back. It only wound her up more and that was exactly what he had been trying to avoid in the first place.

"It's my life, Cain! I can do whatever the hell I want with it!" They were both on a roll toward disaster now.

"You're doin' a right fine job of it too! Nothing says 'I know what I want' like running yourself to death and turnin' on your friends when they try to help!"

"Don't try to turn this back on me because you did something morally and ethically wrong and you damn well know it! I've never met a more hypocritical man in my life! It never once occurred to you that I didn't want help did it? All I wanted was to fix everything so I could leave!"

"Leavin' isn't goin' to make you feel better! All it's goin' to do is make it worse when you realize you feel the same way no matter where you go!"

Something he couldn't identify flashed in her eyes. "It won't feel the same." There was such conviction in her suddenly even voice that he faltered. "I'm leaving, Cain. You can't stop me."

He had been drawing closer to her as they screamed at one another and at her last statement he grabbed her arm and shook her. "If you think I'm goin' to let you go when your sick and grievin' you're crazy!"

She began to flicker menacingly when the Headcase suddenly intervened. "Let her go, Cain." His eyes flew up challengingly at the interference but one look at the other man's dark eyes had him taking a step away from her. Few men could scare him into retreat but the sudden look in the advisor's eyes was so sharp he thought he might be dead before he could mount any type of defense. He was many things but stupid he wasn't. He'd seen what Glitch could do when he was motivated and few things motivated him as well as the kid. They had that in common.

As they stared at one another Deeg stormed past both of them and disappeared into the hall. She was still glowing when she left and he bet she was trying to calm down before she started making things explode. No doubt she was trying to protect Glitch's brain from her wrath. "Headcase, don't fight me on-"

"That was utterly stupid." His entire body relaxed when the other man blinked and the feral glint disappeared. "It's not like you to act without thinking things through. What were you trying to accomplish by getting in a fight with her?"

"Hate to tell you but there was no getting' out of a fight with her this mornin'."

"Then perhaps you should have refrained from doing something 'morally and ethically wrong' and avoided her wrath to start with." He looked at the closed doors. "She really is terrifying when she wants to be."

He could actually feel lines forming on his forehead at the way Glitch was speaking. "You're different."

"Raw's had more free time to let me connect with my brain. I can recall more now than I could before you left."

"I can see that."

The gangly man tilted his head and his innocent persona began to seep back in. "What is it you want DG to do?"

"Get in my truck so I can take her to Finaqua."

"Anything else? Does she need to pack?"

Suspicious he answered slowly. "No, Furball took care of that."

"You really do know how to make a mess of things. I'll have her down in ten minutes. Whether you make it out of the courtyard alive is up to you."

He huffed out a disbelieving laugh. "You're tellin' me you're goin' to make her get in the car?"

"Make her? You know as well as I do you can't make DG do anything. Really, Cain." The man with his brain in a tank across the room looked at him as if he were slow.

"Then how are you gettin' her there?" There was no way that Glitch could get her in the truck if he couldn't.

Glitch turned on his heel and sauntered out of the tank room. "Leave that to me. You better be ready to go when she shows up."

Heaving a sigh he did what Glitch said and found himself in the courtyard leaning against the truck impatiently. This was a complete waste of time. He couldn't for the life of him figure out why he was doing what a headcase said. He was sure he had specifically been trained not to do that at some point in his past. Tapping his fingers on his holster he began to try to come up with a better way to convince the kid to come with him than knocking her out when she trudged into the early morning sunlight, wrenched the door open, and sat down. He'd be twice damned. Glitch was good. Sliding into the cab next to her he started the truck and pulled out of the palace before she could change her mind and jump out.

Four hours later they were nearly there and she still hadn't spoken. This was a familiar scene except this time he was horribly guilty and he could feel the hair on his neck standing up. Her anger hadn't diminished in the slightest. Now she was simply stewing in rage. For the first time ever he was uncomfortable around her. He couldn't take it. "Kid, can we talk about this?"

She shifted in her seat so her back was to him and he sighed. At least she wasn't hiding her feelings anymore. She was making it very obvious that she was angry with him. At least it was progress. "I'm sorry, DG. You're scaring me."

No response. If she was going to give him the silent treatment he was going to tell her what was bothering him while she sat there. "I want you to be happy. You barely even smile anymore." More silence. "I'm afraid you're goin' to hurt yourself."

"I'm tired and pissed off, Cain, not suicidal." Despite the anger in her voice he was relieved she was speaking to him. And whether she knew it or not she was trying to reassure him even if they had just had the worst fight they'd ever had. That meant she wanted to maintain a connection, which was a relief.

Gripping the wheel in one hand he reached out with the other and laid it on her shoulder. The kid shook him off and he reluctantly took his hand away. "You'll be able to rest at Finaqua."

"And then what?" Her voice was sharp. "We'll come back here and nothing will have changed except I won't be able to tell my parents goodbye. I'll fix Glitch and leave. What are you trying to do? You're dragging this out for no reason."

"Do you really want to leave that badly?"

"Yes." Her exhaustion had returned. "Why should I stay?"

"Deeg-" He hesitated briefly. "-I'm not going to throw you away."

A short, strange laugh escaped her. "Yeah, alright, Cain."

He was hurt at her callous disregard at his honest promise. "I would think after this long you would trust me."

"Because last night was such a stellar example of what you do with it." He visibly flinched. "But what choice did you have, right?" Sarcasm was thick in her voice. "After all I wasn't talking to you the day after I found out my parents were as good as dead. What could I have been thinking?"

He growled low in his throat. He didn't enjoy her rubbing his face in something he hadn't been all that proud of when it was happening. "Alright, Deeg, I messed up. I can only say I'm sorry so many times."

"Yeah, I'm finding it hard to let this one go when you don't actually mean it."

"I do mean it." He was getting frustrated.

"No you don't" Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she watched the landscape rolling by. "You couldn't be happier that you finally figured me out. You've been snooping around for months and instead of asking me about it like an adult, you wait until I have break down and can't think right. And if that weren't enough you have Raw interrogate me with his gift. It felt like someone was tearing off pieces of me. It was bad enough when the witch did that to me. I never thought the two of you would." She curled up in her seat and he could see tears forming in her eyes from her reflection in the glass even as his mind tried to process that. What was she talking about? "Was it worth it? Do you feel better now that you've solved your mystery? Is there anything else you want to know while we have the time?"

Even as he scrambled to figure out what her reference to the witch had been about shame rolled over him. He hadn't thought about it that way but the girl was right. He hadn't questioned her when she was calm except for a brief remark on her not taking care of herself. He hadn't mentioned that he was worried about her when they had been traveling. He had flat out told her to sleep, they hadn't talked about it, and they had ample opportunity. He had waited until he knew she would answer him. His voice was soft when he answered. "No."

"You know what the real kicker is?" Her arms wrapped around her knees. "I would have told you. If you'd asked me I would have. I did trust you. I don't understand why you couldn't trust me to be honest with you. Not after everything we've been through."

"Kid-" He was sure she would kill him if she kept talking and if she didn't he was likely to shoot himself for his behavior.

She had moved from anger to sadness as he listened. "I realize you only put up with me because I'm a princess but I thought you respected me. Do I mean anything to you at all or am I just a job?"

The girl couldn't be serious. One look at her reflection and he knew she believed what she was saying. He drove to the side of the road and threw the truck in park. Reaching over he grabbed the girl and yanked her into his lap before she could think to struggle. Hugging her against his chest he kissed the top of her head. "I don't put up with you. I want to be with you." Tangling his fingers in her curly hair he tucked her head under his chin as his eyes fell shut. "You mean everything to me."

Slowly, the kid's arms came up and wrapped around his shoulders. Rubbing her neck reassuringly as they sat there he felt her heart rate slow down considerably. After a long moment she pressed her face into his neck and curled her legs up so her entire body was touching his. "I'm still angry with you." Her voice was muffled against his collar.

Yeah, well. "You should be." She nodded in agreement and his lip twitched when she snuggled closer instead of continuing to push the issue. As sweet as the moment was, having her against him like this, he didn't feel safe exposed on the side of the road. "We have to keep moving, Darlin'." Kissing the side of her head he gently slid her off of him so she was sitting against his side.

When she began to scoot away from him with an air of dejection he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her where she was as he pulled back onto the road. Once he was sure she wasn't going to move his hand went back to her hair and he stroked it lightly. To his surprise she tucked her legs beneath her and leaned into him. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and she went quiet again. At least this time she wasn't fuming.

Author Note: I love break. Not that that has anything to do with my story but I thought I would share it with all of you. Funsies!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Please refer to any previous chapter I have written in any of my fics. Seriously. It could be fun. Close your eyes and left click.

The last hour of the trip had been far more comfortable than the previous four. Not only were they no longer fighting the kid was sitting peacefully against him. When they drove up to the maze he felt far more confident that Deeg wasn't planning on murdering him in his sleep once they were settled. It was a comforting thought. Figuring out how to get through the maze was more unsettling. He didn't really want to get spit out like an unwanted seed. They would have to do this carefully.

The green hedges swayed cheerily in the breeze and he narrowed his eyes. The maze was a deceiver. Maybe Deeg had passed on her mischievous streak when she used her magic to bring it back to life. Maybe it had always been this way. Either way it didn't matter. Here they were. He felt ready to tackle this problem head on. Opening the door slowly he eased out being careful not to jolt the princess. He figured that would be plain rude. Holding his hand out he felt her take it as he kept his eyes trained on the bushes while he helped her out. "Cain? What are you doing?"

"Shhh." Her eyebrows drew together as her eyes moved between his face and the maze she had fixed. "I think it's listenin'."

Her forehead furrowed. "Ummm…So?"

"The maze doesn't like visitors." Stepping to the bed of the truck he began to remove their things and handed Deeg her bag. He saw a cross between exasperation and interest in her eyes as she took it and slung it over her shoulder. Securing his own bag he slowly walked toward the entrance. "Ok, here's the plan-"

"We need a plan?"

The kid wasn't taking this very seriously. "Yes."

"Ok." He had the sense she was humoring him. "What's your plan?"

"I'll go in first then you come in after me." It wasn't the most intricate plan he had ever come up with but it was reasonable. If anything was going to happen he would rather it be to him. And what could really happen? After all, this was just a big bush even if it was magic. Edging forward he took a step into the maze with Deeg a foot behind him when he heard a strange noise. Turning his head he saw the maze rapidly growing closed between them and leapt toward it as the kid let out a shout. "Cain!"

"Deeg!" His heart jumped into his throat at her worried call. The plan had backfired rather dramatically. Muttering curses under his breath he threw his shoulder into the leaves hoping to smash out to the girl. When he couldn't break past the surprisingly tough barrier he turned in order to find a different way out. All he found were more branches. The maze had grown up around him while he had been tearing at it. His head swiveled as he tried to find another exit and he saw the bush continue to grow over his head. "Damn it!"

"Cain?" Her voice was suddenly off to his left.

"Kid?" He fought harder against the maze.

Then her shout was to the right and there was a flash of light between the leaves. "Let go of him!"

Branches began to circle his waist and then he was being dragged somewhere as his pack was ripped from his shoulder. Struggling like mad he was spun around four or five times before the leaves let him go with a snapping noise. He was hurled forward on his chest like a stone out of a sling. He landed hard on the ground with a loud grunt of pain.

"Wyatt!" Hurried footfall came toward him and he rolled over to try to get his lungs to work again. "Are you ok?"

Drawing in a wheezing breath he tried to answer. "I'm-" His pack suddenly shot out of the wall of leaves and landed on his chest. "-oof!" The corner of one of the sketchpads he had in it nailed him between two of his ribs. Then the kid grabbed the pack and tossed it to the ground as she slid to her knees next to him. With a winch he sat up as he rubbed his abused skin. "I knew it was listenin'."

Her worried eyes cleared at his annoyed answer and her lips began to twitch like mad. His eyebrow quirked as she reached over and picked up his hat and handed it to him. When he took it from her and set it back on his head he glared at the maze. Small noises began to erupt from her unexpectedly and his head came around. The kid was now sitting next to him with her hand over her mouth as she began to giggle. He hadn't heard her laugh in over eight months.

Shocked by her reaction he simply sat there and looked at her. Moments later and her body bent forward as the giggles morphed into full blown belly laughter. Unable to help himself he began to chuckle along with her. Gasping for air she managed to get a sentence out. "I don't-" She burst into another fit before she continued. "Wow, it really doesn't like you."

"At least it gave me back my pack. That was obligin' of it." That set her off all over again. He shook his head and waited patiently for her to regain the ability to move. A smile stayed fixed to his face at the sounds tinkling out of her. Eventually she managed to stop and he tucked some of her hair behind her ear as her eyes twinkled at him. "That didn't go the way I thought it would. I think we need a new plan."

"Ok." Standing up she brushed dust off the back of her pants and stepped up to the hedges.

"Wait a second!" He reached for her but she waved her small hand at him.

"Excuse me?" She was talking to a bush, politely. If he hadn't seen her taking directions from a dog he would have been surprised. "I know it was terribly rude of him to saunter in without an invitation, or even your consent, but could you let us get to the palace?"

His eyebrows shot up when the leaves puffed themselves up like an angry cat. The kid put her hands on her hips. "You really are being difficult. After all the trouble I went to fixing you I would think you would be nicer." The maze drooped slightly. She began to tap her foot. "Apology accepted. Could you hide the truck for me as well?"

There was a groan and the ground below him began to tremble. Before he could react branches burst from the ground around the truck and a new wall began to surround them and their transport. The maze had done what she had asked. Even as the walls finished growing in a perfect square an archway formed in front of them. Deeg tilted her head toward it. "You're the one that was set on getting here. Are you coming?"

Picking himself up he snatched his pack up as he eyed the bushes all around them. After a brief nod on his part she started forward toward the door. The girl shook her head and led him into the maze. As they weaved back and forth toward the palace he tried to keep her unexpected good mood up. "I would love to know how you manage to get everything you come in contact with to do what you ask."

"What are you talking about? You never do what I ask."

He rolled his eyes. She had him wrapped around her little finger she simply didn't know it. He wasn't about to tell her either. He'd never get his way again. "With the exception of this grumpy old tin man you do."

"You're not old, Cain."

"I don't hear ya denyin' I'm grumpy."

A smirk crossed her face briefly. "Do you want me to lie to you?"

Barking out a laugh he bumped her shoulder amicably. The kid had fallen back to her normal traveling personality. He enjoyed this side of the girl. She was funny and challenged him. After the last few days he was relieved she still remembered how to banter even if she was repressing her emotions. They would get back to the unpleasantness soon enough. "Not one to stroke anyone's ego are you?"

"I told you you're not old. What do you want from me?" Her eyes were dancing.

"If I have to ask it takes most of the fun out of it." Shrugging she turned right and he followed close behind her before a slight frown crossed his face. They may have run through here last time but this wasn't the way they had come. "Kid, this is the wrong way."

She never broke stride. "No, its not."

"We turned left before."

"The maze moves. It changed the way to Finaqua."

His eyebrow quirked up in interest. "How do you know that?"

"My magic." Stopping she shifted on her feet as she thought something over. "Do… do you want me to show you?"

That made him pause. She was offering to share something with him after she had so recently yelled at him over the very subject of her privacy? He was baffled. "I'm pretty sure we had a fight about this already today."

The kid sighed. "Cain, I know I suck at the friend thing, ok?"

He still didn't understand her terminology all the time. "Wha-"

"I'm still angry over what you did and if you do anything like that ever again I swear I'll never speak to you again." He nodded in understanding. "But I didn't know you were that worried about me. I tend to… avoid people. I didn't realize it was upsetting you. I'll try harder to talk but you have to tell me if you want to know something because I'm not good at reading people like you are and you're not open to begin with."

That was a huge concession on her part. Relief swept through him at her willingness to work with him on this. "Ok."

"So, do you want me to show you?"

"I'd like that."

Holding out her hand to him her eyes closed in concentration as she began to glow. "Take my hand." Wrapping his fingers around hers he waited. "You might get dizzy for a second but it won't last long."

"What are you going to do?" The kid had peaked his curiosity.

"Let you see what I can with my magic." With that she shimmered with light and he had to shake his head when the promised disorientation hit him. It vanished as quickly as it came and after blinking a few times he saw the path in front of them sparkling softly. It was subtle and rather pretty. It looked as if someone had ground up gemstones and scattered the dust over the dirt path.

Her eyes fluttered open, and with her other hand she pointed down an offshoot of the path they were standing on. "See how the magic doesn't go that way?"

"You see this all the time?"

"Not all the time." Her hand tightened briefly and she pulsed. When he glanced at her sharply she gave him a weak smile. "I haven't used enough magic today. I need to start siphoning it off soon. It makes it harder to hold onto the spell."

"Does it hurt?" He reached up to push her hair out of her eyes and noticed his skin was sparkling the same way the path was. Holding his fingers up to the sun made the magic more obvious. "Why am I shinin'?"

"You have a spell on you." She sounded sheepish and his eyes found hers as his eyebrow quirked up. "It was an accident."

Good. That made him less nervous. "How did I accidentally get a spell put on me?" He would love to hear her explain her way out of this.

"Cain, I'm really sorry. I've tried taking it off but it just sticks harder."

"Deeg." His voice had dropped to a low growl and she slumped.

"Remember when we were up on the hill? Before I went after Az?"

He very much doubted he would ever forget that. He had been afraid for the first time since he had been put in the suit. For the first time in over ten years he had people he cared about depending on him. His son was about to lead his resistance cell in a suicide run at the tower and the friends he had made, particularly the kid, were about to run headlong into the most powerful dark mage the realm had ever seen. It had pushed every other emotion and thought from his mind. "I remember."

"I was terrified." He had the same urge to hug her now as he had then but he held himself back while she spoke. "Then you tried to make me feel better and I remember thinking as long as you and Jeb were together when it was over it would be ok." Ozma, the girl had never thought she was going to make it out of the tower alive. She had put on a good front that was for sure. "That was before I knew how to use my magic. I didn't realize it reacted to strong emotions. I put a protection spell on you without knowing it. I swear as soon as I found out I tried to break it. I knew you'd be angry." He blinked at her and sadness suddenly overtook her. "You are angry. I'm sorry. I wanted to take it off before I told you."

"I'm not angry." It was true. He wasn't even surprised she had done it. He was intrigued by the fact that he had been shot in the brain room and suffered nothing more than a flesh wound. Raw had healed him in a few seconds. "The spell you used? What does it do exactly?"

"I don't really know. That's why I can't get rid of it. When I cast a spell I have to think about what I'm doing. That's what Tutor said too but I wasn't thinking about a spell when I cast it."

"Could it change the path of a bullet?"

Alarmed she reared her head up to his face and he twined their fingers together. "I'm not goin' to jump in front of one. I got shot in the brain room. I was wondering if the man had bad aim or if your spell did it."

"It was probably the spell."

He leaned in and kissed her cheek gently. "Thank you."

Looking up at him briefly she nodded hesitantly before starting to walk again. He kept hold of her hand as they went and she didn't try to shake him off. Encouraged by that he slowly began to rub his thumb over her skin in an absent sort of way. He didn't want to scare her off but he did want her to get used to him touching her. This seemed like a prime opportunity. If the kid thought he was doing it without thinking she would simply accept the contact, if she thought it meant more than that her mind might start to drift in that direction which was what he wanted. Either way he was close to her.

They turned another corner following the path he could now see with her help and he decided steer their conversation in a new direction. Deeg had gone quiet again and he thought she might be thinking he was lying about not being angry about her spell. "Is there anything specific you want to do while we're here?"

Her eyes darted to him suspiciously but she answered him. "Like what?"

"Hiking, swimming, reading, drawing?" He was up for nearly anything as long as he knew where she was.

"You don't have an itinerary planned out for me?"

"I want you to rest not continue to run yourself ragged." Turning one last time they came to the end of the maze and stepped out into the tall grass that surrounded the palace. The wind was blowing across the field and the sunlight was bouncing merrily off the water. A hundred yards ahead of them the small palace the kid had brought back sat peacefully framed by the mountains. This place was beautiful. He had always been amazed by what she had managed to do here. Pleased at the sight he smiled down at her. "Nice and homey."

"It's quaint." Her dry voice rolled over him causing his lip to twitch. "Cain, I don't do well with free time."

She didn't do all that well when she planned her time out either. "You just need to practice." Nudging her they continued forward despite her unconvinced look. "Let's see if we can find the kitchen first. Are you as hungry as me?"

"Probably not."

Reaching over he poked her ribs and she squawked. "I'm goin' to fatten you up while we're here."

The kid hit his hand away indignantly finally breaking their connection and her spell. "What a pleasant mental image."

"You're not very excited about me cookin' for ya." He gave her a wheedling smile that she shook her head at. He chuckled at her wrinkled nose and let a now easy silence settle over them. It didn't take them long to make it to the front entrance. He looked around to make sure the place was clear before reaching out to the handle of one of the tall doors. Then he realized how ridiculous that was because the maze kept everyone else out. They were safe here and completely alone.

"I've never been inside this palace before." Walking into the hall he looked around curiously. The Finaqua palace was much smaller than the one in Central City or the one in the mountains but it felt much more open. Large windows and arched doorways made it feel airy and he could see why the royal family used to spend time here. Peace practically radiated out of the sandstone walls. "Which way is the kitchen?"

"I don't know." Deeg was peering into one of the hallways that branched off to the left.

The kid didn't remember this part of her childhood. Noting that he tried to figure out the smartest way to find their way around. He spotted a small door partially hidden by a potted plant and headed toward it. Opening it he saw a stairs leading down and nodded. "This way."

Her soft footfall came up behind him. "How do you know?"

"It's a servants staircase. They use these to get around the palace without being as noticeable." The guard used them too. It was easier to sneak up on intruders if you knew all the secrete areas in the palace you were protecting. He'd have this palace memorized by tomorrow.

"I use these in Central City." That would explain how she managed to slip away so easily all the time.

He chuckled and started down. "I guarantee the queen would have something to say about that if she found out."

"Now I'm worried." Deeg was close behind him as they descended. "Do you think this leads to the kitchen or living quarters?"

"I guess we'll find out." Looking over his shoulder he grinned at her. "I thought you liked to explore."

"And I thought you didn't."

"Now that's where you're wrong. I simply don't enjoy chasin' ya down in unknown territory."

"Are you saying you enjoy chasing me in known territory?"

That caught his attention. He wasn't sure she meant that the way it had come out but he could turn it around easily enough. Keeping his eyes forward he smirked knowing she couldn't see him from her position. "Of course. I know I'll catch you that way."

Author Note: Nothing to report on my end other than a thanks for all the reviews! Gimme some more!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not mine.

"This isn't what I was expecting after seeing the kitchens in Central City." The kid was poking around the cupboards curiously.

"Why were you in the kitchens?" He wondered if it was really worth questioning at this point. The girl had probably been in every corner of the palace with or without permission.

"I wanted pizza. It's hard to cook without an oven." Standing on her toes she wrestled a ceramic bowl out of a high shelf and set it on the counter of the small secondary kitchen they had found. The main kitchen, the one used for cooking large meals when the palace was inhabited, was on the other side of a swinging door. This one must be used by either the staff for personal use or by the nobility that liked to cook in their free time. Deeg lifted the bowl on its side so she could examine the colorful design flowing around it.

"What's pizza?"

Closing her eyes she shook her head sadly. "An Otherside food." Returning her attention to the bowl she didn't react as he set his bag down next to hers beside a small wooden table pressed up against a window. He started his own exploration of the space and set the things he needed to make lunch with on an island in the center of the room. "Cain, what is this?" Holding the bowl with one arm she pointed to a bird painted on it with her finger.

Leaning forward he identified it. "If I tell you will you make me a pizza?" He liked their new agreement to talk and he wanted to extend that to sharing things. It would be fun to learn about her and the world she grew up in, and make her less hesitant about sharing big things if he focused on things she liked most of the time.

The kid blinked at him with a kind of pleased surprise. "You want to try pizza?"

He shrugged. "It must be good if you went to all the trouble of making it." And actually taken the time to eat.

"If you want I can make one now assuming all the ingredients are here." She held out the bowl and tilted her head at him.

"It's a sky dancer."

"A sky dancer?"

The kid hadn't had a chance to encounter one of these yet and it couldn't have been high on Tutor's priority list when it came to her education of the O.Z. "They were rumored to be created by Glinda herself." He had her attention now. Glinda had been one of the first history lessons she had learned. "They live in lake country. If we get a good rain you might see one."

Curiosity was radiating off her. "Why does there need to be rain?"

"Most of the time they hide in the woods. Hard to find even if you're lookin'. They're secretive and nest in the densest bits of forest they can find." Taking the bowl he turned it so she could see the painting. "But after it rains the one's searching for a mate fly under the rainbows. The light bounces off their white feathers and makes 'em look like this." He tapped the bright, multicolored feathers portrayed on the bowl. "When they choose a life mate they dance. It's considered a sign of good fortune to see them spinnin' together."

Her eyes flickered with delight. "I'd like to see that."

"Let's hope it rains then." Pity he couldn't make it rain for her on command. Smiling he urged her on. "Your turn."

With a nod she headed for the pantry she had glanced in briefly and began to dig things out. At first he had been amazed to find fresh fruit and vegetables in the palace. Then he remembered the entire place was swimming in magic and stopped questioning their good fortune of having enough food to last them years. For all he knew the palace knew what they liked and made it for them. With the girl putting so much of her light into making this place it was possible that she had given it a good amount of awareness. Mages could do odd things when they weren't focused or didn't know what they were doing. Deeg had been both when this place grew back up around them.

Regardless of the reason it saved them the trouble of leaving for supplies. He had only packed enough for a week but now he wouldn't have to worry about it. Deeg returned with her arms full of an assortment of ingredients that she dumped on the island. Grabbing one of the pots he had set out she filled the bottom with water and set it on top the stove after turning one of the burners on.

Picking a knife up she handed it to him hilt first and shoved a few onions and a large number of tomatoes in his direction. "It'll be faster if you cut for me while I make the crust. Chop the onions as small as you can and the tomatoes into cubes about this big." She indicated the size she wanted with her fingers. "When you're done put them in the pot and I'll give you the other stuff you need to add."

Setting the knife down briefly he removed his hat, duster, and holster to make it easier to move around. There was no point in getting his coat dirty and for the first time in months he felt safe enough to be more than ten inches away from his gun. As he began to slice he saw Deeg throwing flour and water into a bowl. Two ingredients later and he began to speculate on the reason she was venturing into baking. "Does this taste better with bread?"

Deeg laugh softly. "Cain, this is the pizza."

"The bread?" He didn't see what she found so appealing about plain dough. The kid hadn't even added anything to it to give it a flavor other than bread.

"No, it's crust. This is the bottom of the pizza. It's layered." Sprinkling flour over the counter she picked up the ball of dough in her hands and grinned at him. "Ready for the fun part?"

Not that he minded cooking but he wouldn't say it was his favorite thing to do and he knew Deeg didn't have much interest in it either even if she knew how. "The fun part?"

"Yup." With that she set the ball down, hit it once in the center with her fist, and tossed it in the air. He watched in stunned silence as the bread flattened into a thin plate and she began to spin it quickly around her finger. As he watched, the dough thinned out and she flicked her wrist sending it behind her shoulders before catching it on her opposite hand and continuing the rapid rotation. Once it was so flat he thought the dough couldn't possibly stretch any farther she snapped her hand and it landed in a perfect circle over the flour she had laid down.

His eyebrows crept up in amazement. He wasn't sure what had happened but she hadn't lied when she said it would be fun. Seeing his reaction she winked and picked up a second knife to help him finish his own task. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"My first job. I made these all the time at the restaurant I worked at."

"Your first job?" The kid wasn't old enough to have had many. "How many jobs did you have?"

"I guess that depends." Scooping up a number of herbs she had minced rapidly she threw them in the pot before picking up a hunk of cheese.

"Depends on what?"

"Do you want me to count every farm I worked part time on or lump them all together since it's farm work no matter where you go?"

"Both."

She clicked her tongue as she counted silently. "If they're lumped together I had four jobs. If you count them all separately I had… twelve."

He stopped cutting and stared at her. "I meant before you slipped over."

"Yeah, I know." She had a small pile of shredded cheese in front of her that was rapidly growing. "Princess isn't a job as much as a duty."

"How in Ozma's name did you have that many jobs? When did you start working?"

"When I was fourteen." She shrugged. "Well, younger if you want to get technical about it, but helping out at home probably shouldn't count."

"Why did you start so young?" From what he had gathered from the consort it was the norm on the Otherside to start work at sixteen or seventeen. The same age most teenagers started here, at least before the war. The witch had changed all that, but as far as he knew the girl had been kept well away from any type of violence.

"We needed the money." Sadness crept back into her eyes. The girl fought it down like she did everything else and he wanted to tell her to let it out but she kept talking. "The farm wasn't doing that well and my parents-" Her voice dipped before she corrected herself, "-my nurture units, couldn't afford to hire anyone to help anymore. I did what I could after school but I'm not sure how much it helped."

This was interesting. The kid hardly ever talked about her life before she had slipped over. And if she hadn't helped he could be turned into a papay right now. "Did things get better?"

"Eventually. A few years later and we could afford to hire a farm hand again."

He hadn't come from a farming family but Adora had. They were hard working people that expected a good work ethic. He was sure the Otherside was the same. You had to be that way when your welfare depended on making the most of the land you had. If her nurture units were having a hard time of it, when they had been programmed to excel at that lifestyle, things must have been bad. He didn't find it surprising that she could push herself so hard if she had grown up pushing herself hard. Even her nurture units wouldn't have stopped her if it was the difference between her eating and starving. "You kept working?"

Deeg shrugged as he dumped the rest of the things she had him cut in the now boiling water. "I wanted to go to school. I had to pay to attend and Momster and Popsicle couldn't afford to help me. I wasn't going to ask for money when they worked so hard to keep food on the table. Between that and the mortgage they were pretty much broke. Maybe I should have stopped going and saved it but it's hard to get a good job on the Otherside without a college degree. I was afraid if I didn't go to school I would be a waitress forever. It's not what I wanted."

"What did you want?"

Her eyes darkened and she turned to the pot to stir the ingredients. "It doesn't matter anymore."

The sudden downward turn wasn't what he had been expecting. "Seems like it matters to you."

Deeg shrugged as she picked the pot off the stove and carefully drained the water. "I found what I was looking for. Kinda ironic that it worked out the way it did is all."

"I don't understand."

He saw her struggle for a moment before she told him. He knew she was fighting to keep her promise to talk to him but it was hard for her. Putting the drained mixture in a bowl she began to mash it into some sort of sauce. "A few days before the storm came I bought a plane ticket to another country." He didn't know what a plane was but he understood that she was trying to leave. "Momster found out and flipped. I'd never gotten in a fight with her before but I couldn't stay anymore."

"What was wrong with the farm?"

"Nothing, there was something wrong with me." Bringing the bowl over she began to spread the sauce she had made over the dough. "I had to leave. I thought I was going crazy."

"Why?"

"My dreams. I kept seeing a woman with lavender eyes. All the time. Every night." Finished with the sauce she started sprinkling cheese over it. "She kept telling me a storm was coming."

"The travel storm?" It didn't sound much like a question. "You knew it was coming?"

"No. There's no magic on the Otherside. I thought it was some subconscious thing telling me to take off."

"You were leaving to find something." This was statement.

"Yeah." Sliding some food toward her she glanced up and pointed down at the assortment of food. "Is there anything here you don't like?"

"Peppers." Tossing those aside she started chopping the rest of the vegetables. "What were you looking for, Kiddo?"

Deeg began to place the rest of the items over the cheese as she answered. "Home." Her eyes were fixed on the strange dish she was making.

"You're home now."

"Yeah." Opening the oven her hands flared briefly and the pizza floated off the counter and slid perfectly onto the rack. "I'm home now." She toed the oven door closed with the end of her boot and wiped her face clear of her feelings as she bounced up on a clean part of the counter with a thump. Swinging her legs over the edge she gave him a false smile. "It should be ready in about twenty minutes."

Warning bells started going off in his head and he stepped up next to her. One look at her troubled eyes and he let this line of questioning go. Deeg had been good about answering his questions. She hadn't fought him or evaded the subject despite her discomfort. It wasn't fair to poke at her until she started to cry. It would only make her shut down on him completely and that was the last thing he wanted. He'd gotten enough to chew over for a while.

Leaning next to her he tapped her leg before pointing to the oven. "What exactly did we make?"

Her eyes cleared and she gave him a small smile. "The best thing from my side of the rainbow."

He chuckled. "The best?"

"Ok-" The girl sighed rather dramatically. "-maybe not the best thing. But it's up there. In the top ten for sure."

"I have a feeling you might be exaggerating." To his amusement she began to pout. It was possibly one of the most endearing things he had ever seen her do. "But speaking of the Otherside…" Leaving her side momentarily he went to his pack and dug out the art supplies Tutor had given him. Moving back to her he set the pile of papers and pencils in her hands.

Fumbling in surprise she managed to get a grip on them and stared at him in absolute confusion. "What's this?"

"Sketchpads."

Her eyes flicked with exasperation. "What am I supposed to do with this stuff?"

"Draw."

"I don't draw, Cain."

His eyebrow quirked up. "That isn't what you told Tutor."

Her voice sharpened. "Why are you talking to Tutor about me?"

Oh no. "Deeg, please, I don't want to fight with you." She bristled and he rushed forward. "It'll help with your magic."

"What?" The girl eyed him suspiciously. "How is this possibly going to help me with my magic?"

"Tutor said you drew as a form of meditation."

"So?"

"You won't have to drain yourself if you draw. It'll help you control it." Deeg looked back down at the art supplies. "Wouldn't that make you feel better?" He reached up and squeezed her shoulder. "I want you to feel better."

"I haven't drawn anything in a long time." Her voice was soft as she started to run her fingertips over the leather binding of the largest of the notebooks.

Leaning in he rested his forehead against her temple. "Please do this for me?" All he had to do was approach her the right way to get her to do this. He needed to make this about him and not her. She worried about everyone but herself. "I won't worry as much if you try." Her head bobbed once and he kissed her cheek gratefully. "Thank you, Sweetheart."

"Can I wait until after we eat? The pizza should be done." The kid worked too hard if she thought he wasn't going to let her eat first.

"Alright. Let's see if this is as good as you say it is." Setting the art supplies to the side Deeg got off the counter and removed her creation from the oven with her magic. Picking up a knife she sliced the round dough down the middle. Then she spun it and did the same thing until a number of small triangular pieces were made. Picking up one of the triangles she handed it to him before snatching up her own. He took it without much thought and nearly dropped it because it was so hot. He cursed and Deeg grinned as she took a bite out of her own portion.

"You're supposed to eat it not drop it."

"Thank you." He rolled his eyes skyward before he carefully took a small mouthful of the pizza. Chewing slowly he analyzed the spicy bread. It was better than he had expected it to be and the variety of toppings Deeg had scattered over the top made every taste a little different. He was glad he had asked her to make this. "This isn't bad."

Her lip twitched. "That's pretty outstanding praise coming from you."

He grinned and leaned against the counter as he ate. "This is popular on the Otherside?"

"Sure, in Kansas anyway." He grunted in understanding as he finished and picked up a second piece. "You can put different things on the top. I like pepperoni but I can't find anything like it here. The veggies aren't bad though."

"Pepperoni?"

"It's a processed meat thing."

"Processed meat?" That sounded delicious. "What process does it undergo?"

That stumped her. "I have no idea."

"Sounds healthy."

She shrugged. "It tastes good."

"Right. Are you done?" The girl had stopped eating after her first piece. It wasn't enough but he supposed he should be grateful she'd eaten at all. When she nodded he gathered her art supplies and put his hat and duster back on. They needed to find some rooms to stay in while they were here. "Come on then. Let's find a place to bunk down in."

Deeg followed him with less enthusiasm than he would have liked but she did follow him. After they found the main hall again they began to wander around the palace erratically. After nearly an hour he'd had enough. Walking to the nearest set of rooms he opened the door and looked around. It wasn't among the biggest they had seen on their tour but it was comfortable looking. The main room was more than big enough for the two of them and the bedroom he could see beyond a single door was only half the size of the one he had been given in the city. He liked it immediately.

"I'll take this one." With that he tossed his stuff on the floor and turned around. "You're turn."

The kid shrugged. "The one next door is fine." Her eyes traveled to the glass doors that led to the balcony. "The view is nice."

He was glad she liked it. "Alright then." He took her pack from her and set it on the ground. "Now-" Guiding her to the couch he pushed her gently until she toppled backward onto the cushions. "-time to meditate."

She sighed and picked up the biggest of the notebooks before folding her legs up under her. Picking out a pencil she drew one line down the page before looking up at him. "Cain, you're being a creeper."

"What?" He was tin man. Not a peeping tom. "I resent that."

"Do you need to lean over me? You're popping my personal bubble."

He gave her a teasing smile. "Are you goin' to get moody on me now that I know you're an artist?" The kid threw a spare pillow at him and he barely managed to get out of the way before it hit his head. It flew past his head and whumped off the wall behind him. "Alright! I can take a hint!"

"That wasn't really a hint."

He grumbled as he walked out. "Two minutes and you've already kicked me out of my own room. Women." She snorted behind him and he smiled as he went in search of the library. If she was going to spend her time drawing he needed something to do. He wouldn't mind finding a good story to read. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had the time to sit down and read for pleasure. This could be nice. All he had to do was actually find the library.

Author Note: It appears to be progressing. You should let me know if you think so too.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: They say it's not mine. They might be right.

Finding the library had been less of a task than he thought. It was on the far side of the small palace and took up nearly a whole wing. Impressed with the selection he spent quite a bit of time wandering around the space. It had a main floor and a second terrace level that spanned the upper perimeter of the large room. On the top floor there was a sitting area, complete with some of the most comfortable furniture he had ever encountered that overlooked the lake. After picking a book, which was a challenge in itself, he had ensconced himself in one of the chairs until the first sun had set. Figuring that he had given her enough time he marked his page and stood up. Stretching, he winced as his neck popped and headed toward the spiral staircase that connected the upper and lower levels.

On his way to his room he took the time to travel a few of the hidden staircases and hallways. In less than an hour he had every part of Finaqua from his rooms to the library mapped out in his head. He would need to pin down the rest of it tomorrow assuming the halls didn't move around the same way the maze did. If it did he needed to have the kid talk to the palace so he wouldn't be turned around on purpose. Whether the land was responding to her personality or the fact that she was a Gale didn't matter. All that mattered was that it listened.

When he walked into his room he found the kid curled up tightly on a corner of the blue sofa with her head firmly between her knees. It was the same position she adopted the last few times she was distressed and he froze. The sketchpad he had given her, along with three of the pencils, looked as if they had been hurled against the nearest wall. The pad was opened with the pages flopping around awkwardly while two of the pencils were broken in pieces. Concerned, he dropped his book and crossed the room, catching her hands in his. The kid was clutching her dark hair so hard he thought she was going to start ripping it out in chunks. "Darlin'?"

"I don't want to do that anymore." Her legs muffled her tearful whisper.

"Why? What happened?" He managed to pry her fingers free as she shook her head. A hitching sob hit her and he made a crooning noise to try to calm her down long enough to figure out what was going on. The kid wouldn't act like this without a damn good reason. He needed to figure out what had set her off. "Hey now, Sweetheart. Shhh, it's ok."

"It's not. It's not ok." His eyes flew to the paper, and keeping one hand on her so she wouldn't think he had disappeared, he stretched his arm out and picked it up. Shaking his wrist he managed to straighten the paper out and frowned at what he saw. The kid had rendered Milltown and a number of its inhabitants in perfect detail. The page was completely filled and he knew she had spent the entire time he was gone working on this. "Don't make me do that again."

Why in Ozma's name would she have chosen to draw this? She had to know it would remind her of what had happened two days ago. The kid hadn't followed his instructions at all. He would have never asked her to draw anything that would upset her like this. "Deeg, why didn't you draw what you normally do?"

"I did." Deeg had lost her fight with her tears and was now simply beside herself with grief. "I did what you told me to." He could barely understand her through the tears. "I couldn't stop once I started. Why couldn't I stop?"

Startled, he dropped her drawing and sat down next to her. Tutor hadn't mentioned that once she started she wouldn't be able to quit drawing until she was finished. Gathering her up quickly he leaned into the opposite corner of the sofa and let her curl up over him. Unlike the last time she had begun to cry she didn't try to fight. Desperate for comfort and reassurance she tried to get as close to him as possible. Her hands clutched at his vest and he held onto her tightly as she tried to burry her head under his neck. He thought if she tried any harder she might manage to crawl under his skin.

Where her initial breakdown had been raw grief he could feel her starting to panic as the second wave of this nightmare hit her. A whole new set of emotions and realizations were slamming into her and for someone who was used to repressing things this was going to be even harder. "Deeg, I know this hurts but you need to try to relax." She stopped breathing for several seconds and he shook her shoulders slightly. "Breathe, Kiddo."

The only thing breathing accomplished was to give her air to cry with. A ragged sob tore out of her and her grip tightened. "Cain." He'd never once heard her beg and it broke his heart. "Please, make it stop."

Helpless, he stroked her hair. "I wish I could."

Deeg shook in fear. "I don't want to do this again."

No, he didn't want her to fall apart again either but she wasn't going to have one good cry and be over all the pain. He had already known this was likely to happen, if it wasn't inevitable. "I know. Best to let it out. I'm not goin' anywhere."

Weeping into his collar she choked out an apology. "I'm sorry."

That was the second time she had apologized for letting herself feel something. "For what?"

"Making you stay." Now guilt was mixing in with the hurt. "God, you don't have to stay." She let him go suddenly and practically fell off of him. Letting out a surprised exclamation he caught her around the middle and pulled her back against him before she could plummet to the carpet.

"Deeg. I want to be with you remember?" Rubbing circles over her back he tried to make her feel better the only way he could as she fell into his chest. "You don't need to feel bad about needing somethin'." That only made her cry harder and he began to hum a soft lullaby over her head even as he tried to sort out her reaction to that statement.

Had the girl ever asked for anything? The only thing he could think of was when she had asked him to lead her to the brick route. When he had initially refused she had been more than willing to find it herself after telling him exactly how she felt about his attitude. But she would have been eaten, and even after his first few hours of release when he was focused on killing Zero, he would have felt guilty about that. After she set him free the least he could do was spare an hour or two to keep her alive. Had he known he was going to be bitten and chased over a cliff he may have given it a few more seconds thought but he still would have done it.

The kid had already told him she had worked so she didn't need to ask her parents for anything but a place to sleep at night. Had they ever given her more than that? Her nurture units had loved her well enough but it had been programmed into them. He had seen the way her eyes had darkened when they had left them in Milltown in search of the Mystic Man. What must that have meant to her? To know that the people that had raised her had been forced, or at least ordered to take care of her. Is that why she didn't ask for anything? Deeg thought everything came with strings attached?

Slowly her crying turned into small hiccupping jags and he stopped humming so he could talk to her while she trembled against him. "Do you feel any better?" The kid nodded mutely into his shirt. "If that happens again I want you to come find me if I'm not with you." Another, more reluctant nod before she turned her face into his shoulder so there was no chance of him seeing her. Stroking her curly hair he continued. "I want you to come find me if you need anything." This time she didn't move.

His fingers played over her cheek before he cupped her face and tilted her head up. Her eyes were red rimmed and downcast. Wiping the tears off her now white cheeks he ducked his head so he was looking into her dull blue orbs. "Deeg?"

"I don't need anything else." Her voice was raspy and depressed. "But thank you."

"Not wanting to ask for help isn't the same as not needin' it." Her eyes flickered briefly and he sighed. "You're making it awfully hard for me to help."

Her hand played absently with the buttons on his vest. "You shouldn't have to help me, Cain."

"I don't _have_ to do anything. I want to." Deeg stared at him apprehensively. "Don't give me that look. Not after staying up with me half the night for the last year." He could tell she was about to protest and he forged on. Kissing her forehead made her stumble to halt and he suppressed a smile. Throwing her off balance was surprisingly easy. "Now, do you need anything?"

She looked down at the button she was playing with for a long minute. "Can, can we stay like this for a while? Please? Just for a while."

That was a surprisingly easy thing for him to agree to but he knew it had been extremely hard for her to ask. Putting his hand on her face he urged her head back to his shoulder. The kid let out a grateful sigh before wrapping her arms around his waist. "Thank you, Wyatt." Deeg had used his first name again. She only did that when she was worried or wasn't monitoring what she was thinking, which didn't happen all that often. She had only called him Wyatt four times including the two times she had said it today.

Tangling his fingers in her hair he rubbed her scalp gently while she finished calming down. Afraid to break the quiet, and risk setting her off again on accident, he simply sat there and touched her. Deeg moved slightly so her face was snug against the base of his neck and stilled. The room slowly fell into shadows as the second sun set and her body went limp against his. Her breathing deepened soon after and he tilted his head down so he could see her. Her eyes had fallen closed and he realized he had been turned into a makeshift pillow. A soft chuckle escaped him. He'd been trying to get her to sleep for over a month and she had gone and fallen asleep on his shoulder without any encouragement at all. Of course the one thing he hadn't tried with her would work.

Moving his arms around her he twisted so he could lay them out on the couch. Deeg let out a quiet murmur and stretched out over the cushions. He was about to sit up and go get her a blanket when the kid rolled her head over his arm effectively trapping his shoulder between the couch and her body. Well, this was a quandary. Shifting, he began to slide his arm out from under her when she mumbled into his sleeve. "Cold."

Relaxing next to her he sighed in defeat. He couldn't get her a blanket without getting up and he couldn't get up without waking her. Body heat would have to work. She nestled into him and he stared down at her sleeping form as he fought against his reaction to her soft body pressing up against his. Curling his arm behind her he tried to get comfortable, happy that he had removed his gun in the kitchen. "You're goin' to kill me if you keep this up, Sweetheart."

Deeg just wriggled closer in her sleep and he bit off a groan. Opening his duster he covered her with it knowing he was playing with fire. The kid sighed contentedly in her sleep and he shut his eyes trying to think of anything other than how close she was. Why could the girl never allow him the courtesy of doing things his way? All he'd wanted was to slowly ease into courting her and she'd gone and thrown him headlong into nearly unbearable lust without even trying. Hell, all she'd done was fall asleep, which was exactly what he'd wanted. He just hadn't wanted her to torture him mercilessly in this manner.

It had been a long time since he'd been with a woman and he'd admit to having more than one fantasy about Deeg. The first dream had caught him off guard and he had spent nearly three days trying to reason his way around it. He told himself he was lonely and she was young and beautiful. That was an obvious solution. He was a man. Sometimes his imagination got away from him. It had been a fluke, nothing more. That hadn't sat right with him, and even knowing it was a bad idea to follow, he continued to think about it.

Then he decided it was because she had let him out of the nightmare he had been trapped in and he had latched onto her in his own way on their journey. They had gotten close. Closer than he had gotten with anyone else. Closer than he had been with nearly anyone in his entire life. They had a connection. He wasn't about to deny it. He liked the kid, she had freed him, fought beside him, been with him when he found Adora's grave, made him laugh, and kept him company. Deeg was his friend. His sleeping mind had taken their friendship and shaped it into what his body needed at the time. That hadn't sat right either.

Before he could come up with another reason, a second, and much more vivid dream had found him. When he woke up and she wasn't wrapped around him moaning his name as he thrust into her he had nearly screamed in frustration. His entire body had ached as he panted and he knew reason wasn't going to help him anymore. What he was feeling wasn't affected by reason. He couldn't be pragmatic about it. Logic had been shot dead at his feet. Even a cold bath hadn't been able to alleviate his predicament and seeing her later that day when she showed up at his door with a deck of cards in her hands had nearly undone him all over again.

He'd been able to get a hold of himself since then but this was near agony. This line of thought wasn't really helping him much. The last thing he needed to be thinking about were her pale legs clamped around his hips. Muttering a curse under his breath he forcefully turned his mind in another direction. The drawing exercise hadn't gone the right way but she wasn't blowing anything up. That was a positive even if her subject matter had sent her into a downward spiral. And if he considered that she was going to have to let emotions take over again it may not have been as bad as he had originally thought. He may need to push her to continue drawing even if she didn't want to.

There were other, more personal things, he needed to consider as well. If they were going to be here alone without any kind of distraction he wanted to let her know that he was interested in more than friendship soon. He wanted to be a gentleman about this and if she didn't know what he was thinking he was likely to scare her into bolting on him. The girl already thought she was on the verge of abandonment by everyone and running into this headfirst might make her think he was after a good time and not a commitment. The last thing he wanted Deeg to think was that he was using her.

Deciding to let her know in the morning he closed his eyes and focused on sleeping. Drifting off slowly he adjusted her so they could both be comfortable and let himself go. The next thing he knew she was fidgeting fretfully against him in the darkness and his eyes cracked open. "Deeg." He shook her gently before her nightmare could escalate. "Darlin', wake up."

The kid jerked with disorientation as she came awake and he tightened his grip on her so she wouldn't topple off the couch on accident. It seemed to be a habit of hers. Next time he was taking her to a bed because if he didn't he was sure she'd end up with a concussion. "Cain?" As soon as she realized she was cuddled up against him she scrambled away. "Why are we on the couch?"

Confused by her sudden panic he tried to relieve the tension. "You seemed to like it more than any of the fifty beds in this place."

"Oh." Deeg shook her head to clear away some of her grogginess. "Sorry. I'll go to my room."

"You can stay here." He regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. It sounded like an invitation, not an offer of help. Her eyes shot uneasily to him as he sat up and she edged to her pack. Thinking quickly he waved a hand toward the bedroom casually. "I can wake you up if you have a nightmare that way."

The kid didn't seem convinced by his argument and started across the now dark room. Deeg was jumpy and he didn't know why. Nothing had happened between them and she was doing her best to flee the scene. The girl was acting as if she had witnessed a murder and didn't want to get involved. "That way neither of us will sleep. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Mister Cain." He narrowed his eyes at her retreating figure. Her sudden use of the honorific she had dropped months ago was downright odd. She was distancing herself from him and the situation.

It took most of his self-control to keep himself from calling her back but he let her go. Deeg shut the door softly behind her as she left and he let out a sigh. Standing up he decided to take a bath and go to bed. There was nothing else he could do tonight and he knew well enough that the girl would be up before the suns. There was no point in staying up and picking apart what had happened. He would get his answers soon enough if he was on his toes and he needed rest to be at his best.

The one advantage he had over Deeg right now was her lack of sleep. If the girl were on her game he wouldn't stand a chance. She was too good at keeping secretes for him to catch her unaware without that advantage. If she had been born without magic when the witch took over she could have easily been trained as a spy by the resistance. Everything about her was a challenge. He'd questioned life long fugitives that were easier to get information out of. But, to be fair, he hadn't been stepping around them like they were made of glass in order to keep them on this side of sane.

He was banking on Deeg sharing more with him once he stabilized a relationship with her. He doubted she would be comfortable having a suitor that didn't accept her past along with her present. She would tell him more if she was serious about his offer to be her partner. Deeg had already shared more with him than anyone else, which was encouraging in itself. Letting the rest of it out would be a natural progression. At least he hoped so.

Author Note: I love summer even if it is raining. I get to write all the time. Lalalala! That was my happy song. Did you like it?


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Generic… Tin Man is not my property.

He couldn't find his girl. Ten minutes he'd been up and he was already in a tizzy. When she hadn't answered his knock he had called to her before slowly opening her door. The kid's things had been tossed next to the wall and her bedroom door was open so he edged forward afraid of waking her or invading her privacy. When all he found were rumpled blankets he lost his cool. There was no way he had scared her so badly that she'd run off was there? The only thing that kept him from tearing the palace down brick by brick was seeing she hadn't taken her things. Turning on his heel he headed straight for the kitchen. Maybe she had gone to get food and didn't want to wake him up.

She wasn't there. Huffing in frustrated annoyance he began to search the halls systematically. They were definitely going to have to have a note policy because this place was so big he wasn't likely to find her unless she told him where she was going to be. Hell, Deeg could disappear in the library for hours even if he knew she was there. His concern over where the princess had disappeared to this early in the morning vanished when he saw her inside a large, mostly empty room he was walking swiftly past. Grinding to a halt he leaned quietly in the doorway and watched her shuffling through a box on top of a thin table, the only furniture in the room, as he told himself firmly to relax. The kid had said she wasn't leaving until she fixed the headcase. There was no reason for him to leap from groggy to panic so quickly.

The stand itself was up against the far wall and on one end an old phonograph sat ready to receive one of the many records she was sorting through. She had the most puzzled expressions on her face as she read the titles of the music on them. Finally settling on one she held it up to the early morning light filtering in through the window and looked at it critically as she started talking to herself. "Ozian Waltz. How appealing. If I'd known I was going to get sucked into a tornado I would have invested in an ipod." Shaking her head slightly she set the disk on the phonograph and lowered the needled to it. Deeg was moving so carefully he wasn't sure she'd ever touched one of these machines before. "What I wouldn't give for some good alternative right now."

Humming softly she began to run her eyes over the music player as she searched for how to make it work. Unable to leave her at a loss he called across the room. "You have to crank the handle and then put the needle down."

The kid jumped three feet in the air as she whirled around. "Geez! I stand by the creeper comment." So the kid was back to normal again. Maybe last night when she'd escaped had been a fluke.

Lip twitching he crossed the room and raised the arm of the machine before she could damage anything. Turning the crank a few times he lowered the needle back down once the machine started to spin and a soft melody filled the room. "There."

Deeg seemed less than impressed with the music. "You know… Not really worth it."

He chuckled as she eyed the record. "This is traditional music. It's been around for centuries."

"That's interesting. Is there anything in the box that's more-" She searched for a word. "-exciting?"

"You only think it's boring because you can't dance."

"Correction. I can dance, just not to this."

"Do you want to learn?" He held his hand out and waited. He'd been putting this off long enough. It was time to let her know. All the better that he could tell her while she was wrapped in his arms.

"To waltz?" The kid shifted. "Why?"

He eyed her shrewdly. "Are you afraid you can't do it?"

She grabbed his hand immediately. Deeg never could pass up a challenge. "I can dance." He nearly started laughing at her stubborn insistence. Containing himself he led her to the middle of the room and placed one of her hands on his shoulder, settled his arm under hers, and took her opposite hand in his. Deeg moved in so their height difference wouldn't be as much of a problem and he found her closer than he had anticipated.

"Alright, keep your arm stiff and your back straight." The kid followed his instructions and he nodded. "Now all you have to do is follow."

She was gazing down at their feet. "Follow what?"

His eyebrow quirked up. "Me."

"I don't get it. At what point do I have to dance?" Shaking his head he took a step toward her and she automatically stepped backward in time with him. "Oh." He grinned and started moving her around the floor. It didn't take her long to fall into rhythm with him, which was fairly impressive. He may have been the one telling her where to go but her instincts were amazing for a beginner. She was keeping the same amount of distance between them and turning as if she had been doing this all her life. Otherside dances might be similar enough for her to pick this up without much of an effort.

"You're good at this."

"I am?" Her eyes fell to their feet and she immediately stumbled.

"Eyes up." Her head came back to his and she sighed in frustration. "Relax, Deeg, it's only a dance. You don't need to be perfect. Especially not your first time."

"I don't want to break your toes."

Against the wall the music changed as the record spun to a new song. "I've taken worse than you stepping on me." Noting the shift in tempo he pulled her in closer and twirled them smoothly. Caught off guard her arm unlocked and she let herself be pressed against him. His hand slid to her lower back as her arm folded inward.

"Where did you learn to do this?"

His smiled at the memory. "My mother taught me." Her blue eyes sparked with curiosity though he could see her repressing her question. Their agreement to talk should go both ways. It was only fair. "I wasn't a very happy thirteen year old that day." A soft laugh fell from her and she relaxed further into him as they talked. "But I appreciated the lessons later."

Her eyes sparked with humor. "Did you impress all the girls?"

"No." He shook his head ruefully. "As I recall I was so nervous the first time I asked a girl to dance that we landed in a heap on the ground. No one danced with me again for months."

Her laughter rang through the room. After a moment she smiled. "Sorry. That probably wasn't funny at the time."

He shrugged. "It is now. I still can't believe I did that."

"If it makes you feel better I'm not at all worried you're going to flatten me into a pancake."

He searched his memory to the times she had cooked for them while they were in the fields. "Those thin pastries you make for breakfast?"

"Look at you learning Otherside stuff." He could tell she was pleased that he remembered. The song shifted again and he slowed them down again. "I'm so proud."

He snorted and she lowered her head to his shoulder as they continued to move unhurriedly around the room. His eyebrow quirked up at her proximity but he kept his mouth shut. She was still moving with him and he wondered if this was a normal way to dance in her world. It didn't seem like she was at all out of sorts over their position so he chose not to comment. This was good for both of them, the girl was comfortable with him, and now she was as close as he could have hoped for. Gathering himself he tried to decide what the best way to approach her would be.

As he tried to organize his thoughts the last notes of the song hung in the air and they swayed to a stop. His thumb brushed gently over the small of her back as he placed a careful kiss on the top of her head. Deeg raised her head from his shoulder as her eyes shone with confusion. Before he could reason his way out of this opportunity he made the plunge. Leaning down he pressed his lips over hers in a warm kiss. Her entire body went stiff for a horrible moment before she relaxed into him. Reaching up he cradled her neck and bent her toward him so he could increase the contact between them. His head began to swim as he pulled her soft body flush against his. She tasted better than he imagined she could and when he coaxed a small moan out of her he practically lost his head. Hugging her closer he groaned and she froze unexpectedly before pushing violently away from him. "_No!_"

Snapping to reality with a crash he stared at her. That hadn't been what he was expecting from her. She may have been reacting to her grief when she had kissed him in the tent but he knew her well enough to know she would have never had done that with someone she didn't care for and trust completely. Her behavior had been a reaction to her loss but it hadn't been her only motivation. The kid cared for him and he knew it. Why she was fighting it so hard was a mystery. "Deeg-"

"No." She had her arm out between them to keep him at a safe distance as her panicked eyes fought to stay on his. "Don't do this to me, Cain."

He fought to stay calm because she was as close to snapping as he had ever seen her. "Do what?"

Her voice was quaking just enough for him to notice. "You know damn well what I'm talking about. We can't do this. I'm leaving. I told you that."

This was getting ridiculous. The kid wasn't stupid but she sure had her mind set that way. "If you leave I'm just goin' to come after you and bring you back." There was no point in pretending anything else was going to happen.

"There is no 'if'! I'm leaving and you won't do anything! You have a family here!" Her eyes flashed with something he couldn't identify. "You won't leave Jeb."

Grabbing the hand she had shoved out defensively he yanked her to him with a swift twist of his wrist. She stumbled forward and he caught her when she hit his chest. "You're dead set on runnin' aren't ya?" When she tried to wriggle away he held her firmly. She wasn't getting away until he was done. "Alright, DG, have it your way. You go ahead and run. Eventually you're goin' to wear yourself down all on your own and when that happens I'm goin' to catch ya. Believe me when that happens I won't be lettin' go."

Her eyes flickered with the most powerful wistfulness he had ever seen. It was in direct contrast to the words that tumbled from her mouth. "I don't want to be caught!" Liar. He could practically feel it radiating off her but she still half believed what she was saying. The kid was as confused as hell but he wasn't.

Moving quickly he pressed her flat against his body. Not even air could slip between them now. He let his voice drop to a seductive rumble as he breathed into her ear. "Darlin', when I catch you I promise you'll be beggin' me to hold on." He made no effort at all to hide that innuendo. His words had an instant affect on her. A shudder rippled down her spine and her breathing shallowed dramatically. Bending further he found the pulse point below her ear and sucked on it with enough force to make her gasp. Pulling away the instant she reacted he left her personal space all together putting several feet between them. Waving his hand at the door he quirked an eyebrow. "Off you go then."

The girl looked between him and the door before darting toward the exit. He made no move to stop her as she bolted on him. There was something deeper than her feeling like she didn't belong going on here. While he had promised to talk to her about what she was thinking and feeling he knew he wasn't about to get anything from her now unless he could pinpoint the problem. Circling the room he stopped in front of the window and saw his reflection frowning back at him.

He was baffled by the kid's behavior recently. Ever since her parents had died, and admittedly that was still weighing heavily on her, she had been abnormally skittish around him. Deeg had been wearing herself down to the bone before but it had never affected the relationship they had. If anything they had gotten closer during the time she spent with him. Now she was swinging wildly between her normal self and this odd panic that kept cropping up.

Something had shifted, and drastically. He knew it was connected to what had happened after they made camp that night but he was unclear on exactly what it was. If she had simply been embarrassed by what had happened she would have shaken it off by now. He hadn't once made any indication that he was angry or bothered by the incident and she had claimed it was a mistake on her part. One that she was willing to take full responsibility for. He turned the memory over in his head meticulously searching for her trigger. Then he began again and that was when it hit him. He was an idiot for not spotting this sooner.

She had tried to stop their collision from happening to begin with. The kid had begged for him to let her stay in the truck and he had repeatedly refused. Muttering curses he began to rub his temples. The kid had known what was going to happen if he held her. All the time they had been spending together before their trip to the Fields had been focused solely on him. She had been keeping him occupied and entertained until he had been able to find the courage he needed to talk about what had happened to him during the resistance. They had rarely, if ever, talked about her. He knew practically nothing about her life on the Otherside except that she had lived on a farm, worked too much, and she used to draw. He hadn't even learned about her drawing from her.

She had been keeping her distance. The kid had been doing it so furtively he hadn't noticed. She had asked just enough questions about her confusion over how things worked in the O.Z. that he had assumed he was learning about her. All he'd learned was meaningless trivia about the world she had grown up in. None of it had anything to do with her directly. Deeg had played them all. No one just knew how to do that. The girl had learned this skill. There was only one way she could have been taught. Annoyed and angry he turned on his heel and went after her. She wanted him to talk to her like an adult? Fine. They'd talk. He'd see if she answered him like she promised she would.

Walking to her door he banged on it with his fist. "Deeg, open the door."

"Go away, Cain."

"Not a chance." His temper was steadily rising by the second. If his suspicions were even close to true he was going to kill someone. "Are you goin' to open the door or should I go ahead and break it down?"

He heard her footsteps drawing closer then the door whipped open. In the ten minutes she'd been alone she'd rallied herself. Her jaw was set in a stubborn line and her shoulders were squared. The kid was ready to fight. He'd rather see that than fear. "What? Tired of the chase so soon?" Her sarcasm didn't have the slightest effect on him.

He invaded her space immediately and she was forced to stumble inside or get run over. The moment he could he closed the door behind them so she was trapped with him. He was tired of her running from him. He didn't mind a chase but he wasn't about to hunt a wounded animal. "Who was he?"

Despite her apparent interest in getting him away she was perplexed by his question. "Who was who?"

"Whoever it was that left you." Hurt like he had only seen in her in the tent overwhelmed her blue eyes for a split second before she covered it up. He let out a slow breath as his theory was confirmed. Why had he assumed the kid had never had anyone? He knew she wasn't as young as he had tried to pretend she was when they were after the emerald. She was older than he was when he and Adora had married. She was old enough now to have her own family started if that was what she wanted. He had thought she hadn't wanted that yet. That she hadn't met the right man. That she wasn't ready for that type of commitment. He had never thought that she may have tried and been denied it.

Scrambling to cover up her past he growled as she lied to him. "I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Were you married?"

"I've never been married." No, but she empathized with his loss too easily. He had her now. In a flash of clarity he understood why she had been acting the way she had.

"You were close though weren't you?" And then he had left her, most likely without warning or explanation. Deeg had been keeping her distance from him, and what she was feeling, out of sheer self-preservation. The girl felt things as deeply as anyone he had ever met. He could only imagine what an abandonment like that would have done to her. "Did he promise you he wouldn't leave too?"

Her spine was straight as she tried to stare him down. "Everyone leaves." Her voice was oddly emotionless. "For once I'd like to be the one that gets to decide on the departure time."

He never lost eye contact with her as he advanced, crowding her. "I'm not everyone."

"No, you're not." Deeg retreated farther away from him. "All the more reason for you to keep your distance, Tin Man."

"Too late for that now." The girl wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and he had corralled her toward a corner without her knowing it. "But you already knew that didn't you?" Deeg was scrambling to throw up some sort of defense but he wasn't giving her that kind of time. Placing his hands on either side of her had her taking one last step back and her body hit the V of the wall. She jerked forward to try to find a way to get away and only managed to bump into him as he pinned her in place.

"What do you want from me, Cain?" Her eyes flashed with fear. "You don't want me to act like your princess, you don't want me finish fixing anything, you know everything you could possibly find out about me! What do you want?"

This wasn't the way he had seen this conversation going but since she asked he was going to tell her. "You."

Confusion and humiliation made a prominent appearance in her eyes. "You made it pretty clear you didn't want me in the tent."

His jaw twitched as rage rolled over him, which only made the girl even more panicked than she already was. "Sweetheart, if all I was after was a quick tumble I would have bedded you months ago."

Deeg shrank against the wall. "Bedded me?"

He let out a vexed breath at the quiet question. "I want a life with you. I wasn't about to gamble our future because you lost your head for a few minutes." Shame overtook her and she looked away from him. Moving closer he put one of his hands on her hip and caught her face with the other. "Deeg, I'll be your friend no matter what you decide but I need you to think about this." He hadn't opened himself up for this kind of pain in as long as he could remember. He brushed her hair out of her face as he struggled to force the words out. "Let me court you so you can decide if this is the life you want. If it's not…" He sighed sadly. "I promise I'll let you go if that's what you want."

"You'd let me go?"

He stared into her eyes and sighed sadly. "I told you when I brought you here that I wanted you to be happy. If leavin' is what it takes… then yes, I'll let you go."

For a long second as they stared at each other he was sure she was about to grab her pack and take off without another word. Then to his utter shock she leaned in the full three inches separating them and wrapped her delicate arms around his shoulders. His own arms came up to hold her against him and he waited with baited breath as she hugged him. "I'm not sure I can be what you want, Wyatt."

He sagged in relief. "You're everything I could want. You don't need to try to be anything but you."

Author Note: The angst continues! But don't worry it should be smoother sailing from here on out. You know, humor, excitement, crazed lusty tin man trapped in a castle. Fun all around.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Wrapping his hands around the kid's hips he lifted her easily and set her on the island in the kitchen. Startled she let out a squeak, the first sound she'd made since he'd taken her hand and led her from her room, before sitting still. Leaning in he kissed her quickly while he cupped her cheek and smiled warmly at her in an effort to set her at ease. It was time for breakfast and the girl wasn't going to be skipping any more meals if he had anything to say about it. "What do you want to eat?"

"I'm not really hungry. Whatever you want is fine." Deeg was watching him with a hesitant kind of acceptance of the situation she had found herself in. After their talk, or fight, he wasn't clear on exactly what to term the last fifteen minutes, he was sure it was going to take some time for her to feel secure with him as anything more than a friend. Her silence, which he was starting to interpret as her way of trying to remain unnoticed when she was agitated, was telling him how very insecure she was right now. He needed to lead them back to a more normal place and quickly. Or at least a place that got her out of her head.

"Well-" Leaning in he nibble at her neck and she gasped at the sudden assault. "-you're awfully tasty, Darlin'."

"Cain!"

Kissing her skin he chuckled quietly as he positioned himself between those legs of hers. "It's Wyatt."

"Stop it!" She shoved at his shoulders as a gasping laugh fell from her. He was happy to hear the sound. It had broken the tension between them.

"Stop it, what?" Realizing she was ticklish he rubbed his slightly stubbled cheek against her neck as he held her in place on the counter.

Giggling her legs tightened around him as she trashed in his grip. "Stop it, Wyatt!" Pulling his head back he kissed her forehead and grinned. "Eggs."

"What?" His eyebrow quirked up.

"I want eggs." She repeated her demand firmly.

His smile broadened. Deeg rarely asked for anything specific to eat. Mostly because she didn't bother to enjoy what she was putting in her body. For her it was fuel, at least it had been the last few months. He was pleased she actually wanted something enough to make a request. "Eggs it is." Untangling himself from her reluctantly he turned around and began digging out what he needed from the surrounding cabinets.

Once he was done he set the things down next to her hip and began to crack eggs into a bowl. Once he had a sufficient number he beat them and poured them into a waiting skillet. While they were cooking over the stove he sliced some bread and put it on a pan before sliding it into the oven to toast. The girl slid off the counter. "Can I help?"

"Nope." He searched for silverware as she edged up next to him. "I want you to sit and do nothin' for a while."

"But-"

He sighed knowing she had to have something to do or she would spontaneously combust. He handed her some plates and the cutlery that had been hiding in the back of a drawer a tad unwillingly. "Can you set the table?" Nodding she took the items and did what he asked with swift efficiency. He noticed she hesitated for a moment before rearranging the fork and knife. "What are you doing?"

"On the Otherside the silverware is placed in a different order. Your right way is my wrong way and after working in restaurants for five years it gets really confusing and backwards."

"Is anything else backwards?"

"Ummm, not that I've noticed but given enough time I'm sure I'll find something."

Shaking his head he flipped the eggs to keep them from burning and looked over in time to see her with a towel in her hand to protect it from the hot metal as she opened the stove and pulled out the now crisp bread. Walking back to the table she set the bread on their plates before dumping the pan in one of the two sinks. Deeg was in the process of reaching for soap to clean it with when he tapped her leg with his boot. "That's enough out of you." He pointed a finger at the chair in front of one of the place settings. "Sit down. It'll be done in a few minutes."

With a sigh she sat and gazed out the window in a put upon way. How could he think of asking her to relax? He shook his head and monitored the food as it finished. Lifting the pan carefully he moved to her and scooped a fair amount of food onto her plate before putting the rest on his. After placing the pan on the stove to cool he sat down across from her and picked up his fork. Deeg started eating her food at a steady pace and he nodded to himself. Eating was a step in the right direction. The girl was too scrawny.

Once she had finished most of her eggs he started talking. He hadn't wanted to put her off her food before she'd gotten enough to eat by distracting her. "Can I ask you something?"

He saw her entire body go stiff. "Alright."

He knew what she was thinking but that wasn't what he was interesting in finding out right now. Whatever had happened before she had slipped over had scarred her badly. He didn't want her associating that with him. He wanted the rest of their day to be more pleasant than the morning they'd just had. "The palace-" He pointed around the room. "-can it move like the maze?"

Her big blue eyes blinked at him. "Come again?" He tried to ignore that. He knew it was Otherside slang because she'd used the term before, but really. He was only human and it sent his mind to places he needed to keep under control at the breakfast table.

"You brought the maze back to life and it can move."

"Right."

"Can Finaqua?"

She was utterly perplexed. "Didn't the maze move before?"

This may be his first time here when the place was healthy but he did know the answer to that question. He'd asked the queen after they'd gotten the first report of the incident. "No."

Her fork clattered to her mostly cleared plate and she began to rub her temples. "Of course it didn't." With a frustrated sigh she stood up and moved to a nearby wall. "At what point did talking to inanimate objects become a normal thing for me?" He let out a chuff of laughter as she rolled her head on her neck and tapped lightly on the wall. "Pardon me?" He'd give the girl points for her unending politeness to anything and everything she met.

For a long moment nothing happened. Deeg looked over her shoulder at him and was mid shrug when the floor began to shake slightly. Getting up quickly he moved to her swiftly in case anything happened. Like a stone wall springing up between them for instance. "Answers that question."

Smacking her hand flat across the stone she called to it. "I can hear you!" The trembling ceased immediately. "Now that I have its attention did you have anything you wanted to discuss with it?"

"Could you ask it to stay still while we're here?"

"You've been very nice with all the food you gave us." Deeg had noticed that too. Good. "We appreciate the gesture."

"Very obliging of ya." He wasn't sure the castle could hear him but he didn't see the harm.

The girl shot him an amused glance over her shoulder before continuing. "Do you think you could, umm, chill while we're hanging out? It would get awfully confusing for us if you decided to move the halls around on us." The ground shook again and he caught her around the middle so she wouldn't fall over. "Thanks a bunch!" One last rumble and everything went still.

"Well…" He couldn't say he'd ever talked to a building before.

The kid removed her hand. "That was weird."

His head tilted back and forth. "Yup."

"I can't tell you how much better it makes me feel that you agree with me."

He chuckled and loosened his arm. "Why's that?"

"Because sometimes I think I'm the only one that thinks it is."

He couldn't unravel that sentence. "Thinks that what is what?"

"Magic. It's… weird."

He looked down at her since she was still wrapped loosely in his arms. "It's part of you."

She shrugged. "I never claimed to be normal."

"True." He rubbed her side gently not seeing anything wrong with that. The girl was unique. He liked that. "Now that you've taken care of that what do you want to do?"

Deeg seemed to be at a loss. "I don't know."

"What did you do for fun in Kansas?"

A small smile played over her lips for a moment. "I rode my motorcycle."

"A motorcycle?" He leaned back against the table and held her easily against him.

"It's like a truck but it only has two wheels."

He didn't like the sound of that. "That doesn't sound safe. What holds it up?" He was no mechanic but he couldn't picture any kind of machine that would stand up with only two wheels.

"You have to balance it with your body weight as you drive."

Nope, not safe. At least he didn't need to worry about that while they were here. "None of those in the stable. How about hiking?"

"Hiking?"

"Explorin' the woods?"

"There aren't any woods in Kansas." At his surprised expression she continued. "It's a grassland. They call it the Great Plains. There were a few trees but not like the ones here. They were maybe as big as the ones in the Papay Fields and there couldn't have been more than a dozen in the town I lived in."

That explained her fascination with the landscape as they drove around. She had rarely let her eyes wander from the windows as they went from place to place. It would also explain her nearly constant disappearing act when they went outside. Deeg was curious by nature. She probably couldn't help herself surrounded by so many new things around every corner. Most other people would have been nervous around so many unexpected surprises. Deeg had taken it all in stride.

Feeling safe in Finaqua had him more inclined to agree to an outing. She'd be able to stretch her legs and get herself lost here and he wouldn't be thinking about getting ambushed around every bush. The only way out of the valley was the maze; shear cliffs cut off the rest of it. Unless she encountered a bear or wildcat nothing would bother her and he was certain he could take care of either of those. Deeg could too.

"Let's go out then. I can show you some plants you haven't seen before." It was early summer now. He would be able to find her some wildflowers if he even half tried.

She brightened at the promise of encountering something new. "Ok." Letting her waist go he put a hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the door. Exiting the palace they were greeted with a beautiful cloudless sky. No rain today but they had time. For the moment he could see she was happy to be out in the sunshine. Running her hand through her hair she shook it out before throwing it over her shoulders.

Her bangs had grown out since she'd first arrived, as had the rest of her hair. Then one day he had walked into the tank room and discovered her with well over a foot of it gone. Where it had once fallen to nearly her waist it was suddenly just below her shoulders and curlier than ever. It fell in loose swirling ringlets around her face making her appear to have even softer features when she let it hang free. The queen's mouth had dropped open in dismay. His had dropped open for a different reason entirely. He had to discretely hit Glitch to get the smirk off the other man's face.

When she had told him she didn't understand why everyone was in such a tiff about it he had grinned. Woman didn't tend to cut their hair short. It wasn't taboo by any means but long hair was considered to be the most feminine trait a woman could display and was extremely popular. They would twist it up in intricate styles and let it hang loose in a more relaxed atmosphere, before the war anyway, and that was what he remembered. Things were changing now and that was fine with him. When he told her that she had waved it off as ridiculous. Ten minutes later she had looked up from the machine she was working on nervously and asked if it looked bad. At the time he couldn't tell her it made her look like a temptress sent by the gods to tease him and replied with a simple no. That seemed to satisfy her.

Now all he wanted to do was burry his fingers in it again when she wasn't sobbing into his chest. The only thing the light breeze was doing was taunting him as it blew it around her face. As he was thinking this she turned around to ask him something and caught him staring. He repressed his usual response to this, which was to quirk up an eyebrow enigmatically, and simply smiled. Deeg slowed to a stop. "What?"

Taking a step to the side so they were next to each other he brushed her soft hair through his fingers. Deeg was surprised by the touch but didn't make any indication that he was too close or making her uncomfortable. He had the feeling she was trying to figure out his sudden interest in tactile affection. It was a shift between them but he had always been like this with Adora. There was no point in pretending he wasn't going to be acting like this with her for as long as they were courting. Her lip began to twitch. "You like my hair this short don't you?"

"I never said I didn't."

She batted his hand away indignantly. "You never said you did either you big sneak!"

"So?"

"I could have used some peer support after I cut it!" He grinned and she huffed in annoyance. "Do you have any idea how much crap I got from Lavender and Az?"

"You are more than capable of sticking up for yourself."

"Not the point." Sticking her nose in the air she continued on into the edge of the forest that curved around the lake. "I don't like you anymore."

"Aww, Deeg!" He was half laughing and half pleading with her. "Come back here."

"Nope." She began to pick her way through a patch of ferns. "Not after I defended the hat."

He tugged at the brim. "What's wrong with my hat?"

"According to Jeb it dates you."

"_What?_" His own son? That stung. He staunchly chose not to believe it. "He didn't say that."

She gave him a look as she ducked under a log that had been caught by another on its way down. "He totally did and like a good friend I told him he was just jealous because he didn't have the bone structure to wear hats. And what do I get in return? Nothing." The girl made a 'pfft' sound as she continued on her path.

He was stuck on this now. "What did he mean it dates me?"

"Do you see anyone else wearing fedoras, Cain?"

He grumbled. "Wyatt, Deeg! It's Wyatt!" That was one point he wasn't going to let her forget. "And what does that have to do with my hat?"

"The hat isn't the point. I like the hat."

He rolled his eyes. "What's the point then?"

"I told him I liked the hat." He suppressed a sigh. The girl was already driving him crazy and damned if wasn't getting a kick out of it.

"No one asked for my opinion on your hair."

"Umm, I did."

"I told ya it didn't look bad."

"It doesn't look _bad_? I feel so pretty."

Letting out a huff of mirth he reached out and caught her wrist. It hadn't occurred to him that she put much stock into what he thought about it. All she wanted was confirmation that he found her attractive. Spinning her around he caught her hips and held her against him. "Deeg, you're a far cry from pretty." Her eyes flashed with hurt and he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "You're drop dead gorgeous." That got a pretty blush to bloom on her cheeks and he smiled into her skin as he kissed her jaw. "Do you feel better now?" He couldn't seem to hide the amusement in his voice.

Deeg eyed him. "You can't just kiss me and be forgiven for blatant hair betrayal."

He nodded seriously at the statement. "I see." Reaching over her head without breaking eye contact he picked a wildflower off a vine growing between the trees they were standing under. Handing the star shaped flower to her he smiled winningly.

Looking down at the purple tipped blossom a grudging smile tugged at her lips. "That was pretty slick, Tin Man."

"Am I forgiven?"

The girl nodded as she lifted the petals to her nose. Deeg glanced up at him from under her lashes after she was done smelling it and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for the flower."

Pleased beyond words at the affection he rumbled happily. Ozma he was lost to this woman. "You're welcome." Plucking it out of her fingers he tucked it behind her ear. "It suites you."

"Don't overdo it." Despite the warning he noticed her blush had only increased. She wasn't used to being complimented. "Are there a lot of flowers around here?"

"There are more near the water. Do you want to circle closer to the lake?"

"Yeah." Taking her hand they began to weave through the trees. "Hey, Wyatt?"

"Yes, Deeg?"

"This is better than being in Central City."

Turning his head around he squeezed her hand as he smiled and led her closer to the forest covered shoreline. "I'm glad."

Author Note: Updates! Weeeee! Yeah… I'm weird and you like it!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Tragically I didn't come up with the original idea for this and thus it is in no way mine.

They'd been in Finaqua for nearly a week now and Deeg was finally putting some weight back on. While she wasn't eating as much as he'd like she was eating on a regular basis. He had also gotten her to keep drawing. Initially she had balked but he had bargained with her. Keeping what Tutor had told him in mind he had suggested she try to draw something different. Hopefully she wouldn't need to focus on her former subjects as long as the older mage had said. After some serious stalling she had finally agreed when he told her he'd stay with her in case anything happened and if it didn't work he wouldn't mention it again.

He had picked up his book and looked up every few pages in order to make sure she wasn't struggling with her meditation. Once she had fallen into what she was doing she hadn't reacted to his soft questions. Setting his book down he had stepped quietly next to her and glanced down at the paper. She was in the middle of drawing some sort of machine. He left her alone to finish. Three hours later and she had blinked rapidly as the pencil fell from her hands.

She stared down at the sketchpad and let out a slow breath. Deeg relaxed visibly and handed him the paper. He had stared at it baffled. The kid told him it was a picture of her motorcycle. Deeg had thought he'd want to know what one looked like. He had grunted in interest and studied it more closely. Then he had asked her if she felt better. She had. Now she was drawing every day and he could tell that not having to drain herself was helping. Things had smoothed out between them as well and they had spent most of their time in the woods or exploring the rest of the palace. He had yet to get her in the lake. Deeg had told him it was too cold. He would wear her down eventually.

As the second sun was starting to set behind the mountains her head was resting on his thigh as she studied an old map she had found near the terrace furniture in the library. The kid had developed a fondness for the small sitting area and the spectacular view it gave the moment he had showed it to her the day before. While she traced a river with her fingertip he ran his hand over her forehead brushing a few stray strands of hair away from her eyes. Tilting her head back she smiled up at him.

"How old do you think this is?"

Looking at the map he made a tentative guess. "At least two hundred years." He began to point to a few areas of the paper. "A few of the bigger cities aren't marked and the river that runs out of the mountains doesn't go through this area." He tapped the map. "It got dammed up a long time ago. Crystal Lake filled this valley up. It doesn't exist anymore."

"That's so cool." Sitting up the kid twisted over so she could lean over the armrest of the sofa they were on to pick up another one of the maps she had set on the table next to them. That meant she had to lean over him too and he suddenly found himself with an eyeful of her backside as her stomach brushed across his legs. Sweet Ozma.

As soon as the map she was holding was on the table he swung one arm behind her knees and the other around her waist. Flipping her over he secured her on his lap and kissed her before she could work out what had happened. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she sighed into his mouth. At her reaction he held her close and laid her out on the couch under him.

Over the last week he hadn't done more than hold her against him while he kissed her. He had no intention of rushing her but she had stopped acting skittish with him a few days ago. The girl had even hesitantly sought him out on a few occasions, which made him feel better about going a little farther with her.

Nibbling her neck got a gasp out of her. Chuckling into her skin he positioned himself over her more comfortably. Running his hand over her cheek he caught her lips again as her hands moved from his shoulders down his arms. Humming at the feeling of her palms sliding over him warmth started pooling in his chest. He had thought about her snug against him like this more than once and he found himself far more than content with this situation.

The girl whimpered softly and he rubbed his hand from her neck down her body as she arched up against him. Deepening the kiss one of his hands strayed under her top and he began to rub his thumb over her ribs is teasing circles. Deeg shuddered and he felt her skin begin to twitch below his hands. Intrigued by her immediate response he continued a slow trail up her body for a moment. Then she shuddered harder and he lifted his mouth from hers and stared down at her.

Deeg had begun to tremble badly. "Can we slow down?" He removed his hand immediately at the soft request.

He searched her eyes as he shifted and relaxed beside her. "Of course we can." Curling his arm around her so she was secure he kissed her forehead.

Nodding she let out a relieved breath as her eyes closed. "Thank you."

His forehead crinkled at the amount of comfort that brought her. It made him uneasy. "Look at me."

The girl's eyes came to his. "Deeg…" An inkling of fear wormed its way into his brain. He had been a cop too long. His voice sharpened in agitation and she tried to shrink away when she heard it. That increased his distress over the whole situation. His next question was blunt and to the point. "Did he force you?"

"What? No."

He cupped her face while he searched her eyes. He trusted her but he needed to be sure about this. The thought of someone doing that to a woman had always been revolting to him. The thought of it happening to Deeg was making him physically ill. "No games, Deeg. You're jumpy. Did he?"

"No." Taking a steadying breath she put her hand on his chest. "He never forced me to do anything. But sometimes he tested his boundaries. Not that it got him anything but my annoyance."

An angry growl vibrated through him as his temper spiked. There wasn't much of a distinction as far as he was concerned. "Deeg, I have no intention of testing any of your boundaries." Shyly, the girl nodded again as she watched him. Brushing his fingers along her jaw he wanted to be very clear about this. "If I ever do something you're uncomfortable with all you have to do is say stop."

"Ok." Her voice had dropped to a whisper.

He didn't break eye contact as he continued. "I want you to promise me."

"I promise." Her eyes went from shy to serious as they spoke. "I'm making this hard for you."

He found her lips again briefly. "One thing I'm good at is patience." His hand glided down to her hip. "Take your time, Darlin'. I'm not goin' anywhere." Leaning in slightly he whispered into her ear. "And when I get my hands on you I promise I'll be the one takin' my time." Her eyes fell closed as his breath whispered across her skin and he circled his thumb over her abdomen once. Pleased by the response he placed one last kiss on her cheek before leaning back into the sofa.

"Tease." Her eyes shimmered with lust and he chuckled.

"Can't help myself."

"Uhuh." Her tone was disbelieving but she pressed closer to him and threw her leg over his hip. He figured just his promise to stop whenever she asked was making her bolder. His hand went to her waist before stroking down the leg she had wrapped loosely over him. When he reached the back of her knee she squirmed. His eyebrow quirked up and he brushed his fingers over the area again.

A laugh escaped her and he grinned. "You're ticklish."

"No I'm not!" Her hands were on his shoulders as she began to push away.

With a chuckle he turned so she was on top of him. It would give her control over the situation and he was sure that was what she needed. He could wait to take control at a later time. "Is that so?" He ran his fingertips over her pants again and she squealed.

"Yes!" Grabbing his wrists quickly she pushed his arms over his head and glared down at him. "That wasn't nice."

He eyed her as he smirked. To get his hands down she had to flatten herself over top of him. Crooking his knee up to help her balance he kissed her once. "No, but you sure are."

Deeg suddenly realized the position she had put herself in and grumbled at him accusingly. "You did this on purpose."

His laughter rang over her. "I had nothing to do with this. You're the one that decided to pin me."

"I don't believe you at all. This was devious tin man trickery."

He couldn't wipe the smile off his face as she pouted down at him. "No one's keppin' ya here, Darlin'."

Instead of getting off of him, which was what he was expecting, her hands released his wrists and she weaved her fingers with his. He ran his thumbs over her knuckles and she tucked her head against his shoulder. "You're comfy."

He untangled their fingers and put his arms over her back. "Good to know I'm useful."

"Very." Her lips found the skin above his collar and he bit off a groan. "You're sweet too."

"Sweet?" He grumbled. "All the adjectives in the world and you chose sweet."

She worked her way up to his jaw and he gritted his teeth. If she did much more to him the girl wasn't going to be in any doubt about how nice he found her. Her breath teased his skin. "How about… considerate?"

The kid wasn't stopping. All he could do was try to focus on her words and not the slight movements of her body or the feeling of her soft lips pressing against him. "Deeg."

"No? Brave?" And she had the gall to call him a tease? "Kind?" He groaned as she swiveled her hips slightly. "Maybe just excited?"

"Damn it, Kid." He sat them both up quickly and had her on her feet and off of him within two seconds. He was breathing a bit heavily as he clutched at her hips. Kindly she kept a few inches between them even as she ran her fingers through his hair. Seeing the spark of satisfaction in her eyes told him she knew exactly what she was doing. "Proud of yourself?"

Her smile grew. "Maybe if you'd given me another few minutes I would be." Leaning in she continued on, murmuring seductively in his ear. "And you'd be a lot more relaxed."

That did make him groan. "You're trouble."

"This is news to you?" The kid leaned back.

"Hardly." Deeg continued to smile and stroke his hair as he calmed himself down. Once he had his body under control again he tapped her hip with two of his fingers. "Now that you've proved you can break me you need to meditate for a while. You started to glow when we were eating dinner."

She sighed discontentedly. "Fine, but it makes my nightmares even worse."

"It does?" She hadn't told him that before.

Deeg grimaced. "Yeah."

He frowned and pulled her a little closer. "You said it made things better."

"My magic doesn't fight me anymore and I don't have to concentrate on it all the time when I'm awake." She shrugged. "I haven't blown anything up since we got here. That's a bonus."

"So it's better when you're awake but worse when you sleep?"

"That's about right."

He wasn't sure what to do about that except keep her close so he could wake her up when they started. "You can stay with me tonight."

"You're sure?" He could tell she didn't want to impose on him, or maybe she didn't want to make this any harder on him than she thought she was already making it. What she failed to realize was that it would be beneficial for him as well. He'd get to keep her close at night and he could smoothly move her in with him. He'd admit it was a bit sneaky but he couldn't find it in him to care.

"I'm sure." Sitting up he tugged her with him. "Do you want me to sit with you?"

"That would be nice. You could give me new and exciting ideas to try."

Standing, he pulled her up after him and began to guide her to the spiral staircase. "Ok, lets grab your stuff and relocate to my room."

Before he could react she had swiveled toward him, gone up on her toes, and kissed his cheek sweetly. "Thanks, Tin Man." A silly grin spread over his face. He hadn't felt this utterly giddy since he was twenty-four years old. The girl had him in a happy tizzy only a woman could put a man in.

When they got to her suite she vanished into her bedroom to collect her things and he began to stack up her art supplies. Deeg had them spread out over a corner table so she could get to them more easily. As he gathered up the last of the pencils a splash of color caught his attention. Turning his head he spotted the flower he had given her nearly a week ago in a small vase half hidden by a lamp. Tucking the sketchpads under his arm he moved to it and picked the blossom up carefully. He was studying it absently thinking he needed to go get her a new one, maybe blue to match her eyes, when a spark flew from his fingers. Letting go of plant he let out a shout as a quick pain shot up his arm.

"Wyatt?" Deeg appeared in the doorway separating the two rooms in the suite with a frown on her face and her hands flashing. "What was that?"

Shaking his hand he growled. "I don't know."

"There was magic. It tugged on mine." Her eyes were flashing over the room warily. Deeg edged forward and suddenly her head was tilted to the side as she stared at the ground next to his feet. He followed her line of sight and let out a grunt of surprise.

Going down on his knee he inspected the plant that had shocked him being careful not to touch it again. The flower was as fresh as it had been when he'd tucked it behind her ear. And it was the same shade of blue as her eyes. "Huh."

"Where did that come from?" Deeg bent down and started to pick it up when he caught her wrist. He didn't want her touching it until he figured out what had happened.

"It's the flower I gave you."

"No its not. That one was purple and white."

"Not anymore." He glanced between his hand and the plant. "It changed when I touched it."

There was a long pause. "You used magic?"

"I'm not a mage." Gently Deeg shook out of his hold and captured his other hand in hers. Opening his palm she studied his hand carefully.

"Can you stay still for a second?" When he nodded she shut her eyes and flashed brilliantly. When her eyes opened her light was radiating off her in soft pulses. Her eyes widened and she tugged his hand closer to her face before letting go and unbuttoning his cuffs. She rolled his sleeve up several inches with a look of pure shock on her face.

"Deeg?"

"Oh…" Letting go his sleeve her hands went to his collar. His eyebrow quirked up but he stayed as still as he could for her. She unbuttoned three buttons and moved the fabric away from his chest before sucking in a sharp breath.

Catching her hand again he squeezed it gently. He was starting feel wisps of alarm. "What's the matter?"

"Ummm…I don't…" She was looking at his skin in fascination. "I have no idea."

"That's not making me feel real good."

"The spell I put on you is freaking out."

"What?"

The girl bit her lip and let him go. Picking up the flower she gazed at it as she stood up. He followed her lead as she contemplated it. "What were you thinking when this happened?"

It made it a lot less romantic when he had to tell her what he wanted to get for her. He wanted it to be a surprise. "That I wanted to get you a new flower. That one was wiltin'."

"Ooook. Well, thanks."

"What do you mean 'thanks'?" He waved his hand at the flower. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure but whatever it was siphoned my magic off so you could use it."

"Did I hurt you?" His voice was sharp as he grabbed her arms and spun her slightly so they were face to face.

"No, it tingled." She touched his cheek. "But it hurt you."

"Only stung a bit."

"It doesn't matter. I need to figure out what I did and what triggered that reaction. If you accidentally pull more magic than that from me I don't know what it'll do to you." The kid was more upset than she had been in days. "I didn't know-"

"It's ok." He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "This is the first time anything's happened in over a year. I think we have time to work this out."

The kid kissed his cheek as her eyes glinted with determination. "Tomorrow I'll try to fix it." He was sure she would.

"Alright." He rubbed her back in soothing circles. "Grab your stuff, Sweetheart. Maybe you could draw me a picture of a plane."

He had wanted to know what one was since she had mentioned it the first day they were here. "An airplane?"

"Is there a difference between them?"

"No." Her eyes were far away as she thought about what he had asked her to do.

His lip twitched at her expression. Nuzzling her neck he rumbled at her. "Can you do that for me?"

"Yes." Spinning away with a distracted hum she went for her pack and he gathered up the supplies that had tumbled to the ground when the magic had hit him. When they left she was twirling the blue blossom between her fingers and didn't notice him close the door firmly behind them. He didn't expect her to come here again if he had any say in the matter. By the time he handed the kid her art supplies she was sitting happily in one of his chairs with her things next to her. Once she started drawing he picked her pack up and set it on top the bureau in his room. When she was done she could unpack. He'd let himself fret over the spell she accidentally cast later when he wasn't quite as content with the situation he found himself in.

Author Note: Psst….Hey! Yah, you! Look at all the writing I did. (Points up) You should show me how much you can write. Let's see who wins!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Tin Man doesn't belong to me.

Yawning tiredly he caught Deeg around the waist and pulled her onto the bed after him. Flailing in her baggy shirt and too short trousers she thumped over his chest and he chuckled. "Hey!"

"Is something the matter?"

She blew some of her hair out of her face and smacked him lightly on the arm. "You're not a nice person."

Grinning he turned and hauled her to the opposite side of the bed. Deeg slid the rest of the way over him and sank into the mattress. Reaching out he grabbed the blanket with one hand while he spooned her against him with the other. "Left sides mine, Kid."

"No way!" Wriggling under his arm she tried to crawl back over him.

Holding her firmly down he grumbled at her. "Non negotiable. I'm not letting you sleep closest to the door."

"What?" Her eyebrows had drawn together in confusion. "Why?"

Brushing his fingers over her arm he relaxed as she did. "I don't want anyone breaking in getting to you first." This particular quirk was so ingrained in him he didn't even try to fight it. He didn't want to keep the girl safe. He needed to. Whether she knew it or not he had been making sure she slept near, or against, the truck since the first time they had left the city for the fields. He was always between her and open ground. It was going to stay that way.

"No one is here but us." The kid was watching him carefully for he didn't know what.

He kissed her head and dragged the blanket over them. "Humor me, Darlin'." The girl didn't push the subject any farther. Instead she turned over so her back was to him and closed her eyes. Her body heat radiated into his chest and his drowsiness returned with a vengeance.

"Night, Wyatt."

"Goodnight, Deeg." Spooning up behind her he kissed the top of her head and tried to sleep. He had a feeling it was going to be a rough night and wanted to get as much sleep as he could while he could.

Sure as the sun Deeg started twitching against him. Coming awake his eyes opened on the dark room and he tried to get his bearings. It was the middle of the night. There was no way they had been asleep for more than a few hours. Against him Deeg began to plead with her dreams quietly. "Stop." Her body jerked. "He can't…"

He shook her. "Deeg, Sweetheart, wake up." With a gasp she jolted awake. "Easy." He didn't want her accidentally shooting a spell at him. "It's me."

Still facing away from him she slumped into the pillow and tried to catch her breath. "I'm fine." The kid patted his arm. "Go back to sleep."

His kid was as crazy as he was. "I'm not going back to sleep." He pressed her against him firmly. There wasn't much else to do at this point but try to talk her through it. Well, there was one other thing but he had been avoiding that. "Tell me about it."

For a long minute the only sound he heard was her ragged breathing. "No."

Startled by the firm and steady refusal he blinked at the back of her head. The girl hadn't once kept something from him since they had gotten here. "Deeg-"

"Stop." The word brought him up short. When he told her he would stop if something made her uncomfortable he hadn't anticipated her stone walling him this way. The girl must have felt his body go stiff in surprise because she spoke quietly. "We can talk about something else."

"Ok. What do you want to talk about?" Warily he waited for her to make that decision. He'd never gotten such a flat refusal out of her before. Deeg tended to go out of her way to extend the trust they shared since they had gotten here. If that meant answering his questions then she did. He wondered what was so bad about her dream that she wasn't willing to talk about it.

"How long are we going to stay here?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

Frowning he rubbed her arm. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

There was a whole lot of something in that word. "Nothin', huh?"

Deeg sighed quietly. "I don't want to."

"You don't want to what?"

The kid began to twist the sheets around with her fingers. "Go back."

He found that surprising. She had sure fought hard enough to stay when he was trying to get her here. "Why?" He was keeping his voice as soft as possible. She was edgy again and he didn't want to scare her back into herself when she had voluntarily started this conversation.

Her grip on the blankets tightened and he reached over and covered her hand with his. "Az… Az doesn't want me there."

"What?" He shoved an elbow under his so he could see her face better. "Of course she does."

"No, I told you she's scared of me. That's why I was working so hard on the tank. I was leaving anyway. She looked so relieved when we were going to the Fields. I thought the sooner I left the better, and at least she'd have Ambrose back. They used to be friends before."

Rubbing her knuckles he tried to reassure her. "Your sister loves you."

"I know." Deeg wasn't letting go of the sheets. "That doesn't mean she isn't afraid of me. I tried to talk to her but it just didn't work. We can't get past what happened."

At a loss he turned her over and rubbed her back. Deeg pressed closer to him silently. "We don't have to leave anytime soon. Your sister might just need time."

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me for anything and we don't have to leave until you're ready." The kid nodded and he could feel the tension that had been building in her begin to disappear. He worked his fingers up to her neck and she pressed into his hand with a murmur of appreciation. He kissed her forehead gently as he settled back down next to her. "You need to try to sleep, Deeg."

The kid shrugged tiredly. "I'm ok. I slept more than I usually do."

He suppressed a groan. His eyes were heavy and he knew he'd be in rough shape tomorrow if he didn't sleep anymore. How in Ozma's name did the girl function on so little rest? "Do you ever try to fall back to sleep after you wake up?"

"Not anymore." Stretching slightly she put her head on his shoulder. "I don't like to sleep, but I can leave or stay still for you." It was clear she was waiting to see what he wanted her to do.

"I'd rather you sleep." Sitting up he carefully dislodged her as he got out of bed and took hold of her hand. "Come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"Kitchen." He was too tired to continue on with full sentences.

"Why?"

He huffed out a tired laugh. "Never run out of questions do you? Not even in the middle of the night."

"Nope. I'd never find anything out if I didn't ask."

They started down the stairs to the back kitchen as he yawned out an answer. "Goin' to get you some tea."

"Tea?"

"Mmhmm." Reaching the kitchen he let go of her hand and opened the cupboard he had shoved the small canister in when they had arrived. He had been putting off giving this to her for a few reasons. This type of tea would knock her out but he hadn't wanted to leave her alone after she drank it. There was a good chance she'd still have nightmares after she drank it, even with the spell cast on it, and if she did he doubted she'd be able to wake up, which would only make the whole night worse. If she somehow managed to wake up she'd be groggy and disoriented. With the kid's luck she'd end up blowing something up in her distress. That wasn't what he wanted but now that she was sleeping with him he should be able to prevent either of those scenarios.

Setting the tin down he searched for a teapot. He found a small silver one and filled it with water before placing it on the stove. When he turned around Deeg was leaning against the counter with the open box in her hands and sniffing skeptically. "This is going to help me sleep?"

"Yes." Taking one of the small tea bags out he set it in a mug that was hanging under one of the cupboards. "But I don't want you drinking this unless I'm here."

"Why?" Her curious blue eyes were waiting for an answer.

"It's strong stuff. A healer puts part of his gift in it to help the drinker sleep peacefully. You won't be able to wake up until your body's processed it without help." He hesitated briefly. "I don't know if it'll keep the dreams away seeing as your such a powerful mage but I think it's worth a try. Raw must have thought so too since he shoved this in my pack before we got in the truck. I'm sure he's the one that mixed his gift in so it should be specifically made for you."

"Ahh. It _might_ work." Her fingers tapped over the canister thoughtfully. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

He ran his hand through his hair as the teapot whistled. Pouring the hot water into the green mug he watched the steam rise off it as he set the pot on a cooler part of the stove. "I wouldn't be giving it to you if you were sleeping more than two hours. You're going to collapse or get sick if you don't start sleeping more. I think once your body gets used to resting again you won't need it. Maybe a week or two and you'll be on a better schedule." He handed her the cup. "If you aren't doing any better by then we'll think of something else. You shouldn't take it longer than that."

"Ok." She hesitated briefly. "You'll wake me up when I have a nightmare?"

He hated that she used the word 'when' and not 'if'. "I promise. Drink."

Deeg sipped the liquid and made a face. "This is icky."

"Icky?" His lip was twitching like crazy.

"Oh, shut it. Only you would expect a soliloquy at one in the morning." Bracing herself she blew the liquid to try to cool it off before she began to chug it down. When she was done she shuddered all over. "Blech!"

He couldn't hold back a soft chuckle. "That was entertainin'." The girl fussed at him as she set her dish in the sink. Catching her hand he began to drag her out of the kitchen. The tea worked fast. He'd be lucky to get her to his room before she passed out. "Now back to bed."

"Kay." She walked next to him without resistance as they walked down the hall. Moments later and she began to yawn. Wrapping his arm around her waist he led her through his suite, and picking her up, set her on the bed. Deeg rolled to her side and her eyes fell closed immediately. Smiling softly at the picture she made he lay down next to her and arranged the blanket around them as her breathing evened out. Hopefully this would help.

The next thing he knew sun was pouring in through the windows and the girl was snug up against him and sleeping peacefully for the first time in months. Letting out a grateful sigh he let his eyes drift shut again as the sound of her breathing surrounded him. He was drifting lethargically in a semi-awake state when his kid began to stir. Humming contentedly his hand drifted along her side. "Time is it?" The kid muttered into his neck.

"Mornin'." He curled around her more tightly, reluctant to end the moment. "You slept."

"S'good." Deeg never did wake up fast. He smiled into her hair even as he kept his eyes closed. "Need coffee."

"Never again." He had made the mistake of giving her some before. The kid had been wired tighter than Glitch's brain for hours. He thought her bones were going to vibrate out of her skin. It was terrifying. Then she had gone and found the Headcase. He had left shortly after, afraid he would get sucked into the madness.

"No fun."

His hand drifted to her stomach and ran over her skin. At some point in the night her shirt had ridden up to just above her navel. "None at all."

Whimpering quietly her hand covered his and slowly slid it up along her rib cage. Getting the message he trailed his fingers under the fabric as his body tightened. Shifting slightly to alleviate some of the pressure only alerted Deeg to his present state. She rolled over in his arms sending his hand up higher as she caught his lips with hers. Groaning into her mouth he reached the underside of her breast and traced it gently. Her breathing hitched and he urged her onto her back with a gentle push.

Complying immediately she hooked her bare leg over his hip and dragged him over her. He rumbled in satisfaction at her lazy movements and settled himself between her legs. Deeg sighed happily and pressed her lips against his neck. Balancing himself on his elbow he continued his exploration of her silky skin slowly. Unable to see her through her shirt only heightened his interest in taking his time. The girl arched into his touch as her own hands began to travel down over his chest.

Nuzzling his nose in to her hair he whispered into her ear. "Good mornin', Sweetheart." Finding her nipple he traced it slowly with the tip of his finger and she gasped.

"Morning." Then her hand was between his legs and he groaned.

"Ozma, kid." Breathy laughter filled his ears as he snapped his eyes closed. He reached down to grab her wrist and she tightened her leg as she flipped them over. Catching her hips instinctively he stared up at her and she gave him a smoky smile before draping herself over him. She caught his lips eagerly and he slid his hands up her sides. Nimble fingers found the buttons on his shirt and she had it half open before he realized what had happened. Catching her hands he pulled them up as he continued to kiss her. They were speeding toward a destination he wasn't sure she was ready for.

"Wyatt…"

Humming he laid her on her side and stroked her hair. "Slow down, Deeg." Her eyes flashed to his and he found her mouth again. When he finally pulled away she was panting slightly and he was struggling to grab hold of himself. That was a horrible line of thought.

Her hands grazed his shoulders. "Is something wrong?"

"No." He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and gave her a soft smile. "I want to savor you, Darlin'."

The kid tilted her face up and her lip began to twitch like crazy. "Are you playing hard to get, Tin Man?"

"What?" His eyebrows drew together in confusion. The girl began to giggle as she rolled out from under his arm. Going to the dresser she had put her clothes in the night before she began to shuffle through her options. As she tossed a pair of trousers on the top he began to grumble as he sat up. "I don't understand a quarter of the things you say."

Her head turned over her shoulder and he saw amusement in her blue eyes. "It means you're making it difficult for me to get in your pants."

Rubbing the back of his neck he stared at her. "Why would you want to wear my pants?"

Deeg clapped her hand over her mouth to try to stop her laughter over his apparent misunderstanding. Throwing his hands up he walked over to her so he could get his own set of clothes out. He was sure he looked a tad grumpy as he searched and then her hands were on either side of his face. Deeg pulled him down and kissed him sweetly. "You're cute."

He rolled his eyes. "Why do you keep associating these words with me?"

"Because they're true." She kissed him again and he found himself pulling her closer against his better judgment. "And I like seeing you all exasperated."

He leaned back and glared at her. "Why?"

"You say funny things when you get annoyed."

"You like to see me wound up because I amuse you?"

Her lip twitched as she shrugged her shoulders and wrapped her hands behind his head. "Well, sometimes."

"Oh, only _sometimes_?" Gripping her hips he plopped her up on the dresser. She giggled as he put his arms on the wall on either side of her head and growled at her. "What about the other times?"

Deeg wasn't at all fazed by the fact that he had her pinned on top of a piece of furniture and was glaring at her. She continued to smile as she answered. "Those are accidental."

His head drooped and she began to run her fingers through it. "Deeg, I swear-"

"Not all that often." He pressed his lips together and raised his head. All that accomplished was to get her to laugh harder. "Poor, tough, tin man."

"You are the most frustrating woman I have ever met."

"Ever?" Her blue eyes sparked merrily. "Honest?"

"Don't know why that makes you happy." Her fingers weaved into his hair and she simply smiled. "You're not goin' to tell me are you?"

"Nope." Her thumb hit a sensitive spot and he pressed into her touch without much thought. "Your hair is soft." He watched her curiously as she studied it. "I used to wish I had hair like yours."

"Shorter than it already is?"

Her eyes sparkled. "Straight and blond."

"Really?" Strange. Her hair was beautiful. He didn't understand why she wouldn't like it. "Why?"

"It's popular on the Otherside. Sorta like long hair is here. I thought about bleaching it a couple times but I never did."

"You went against the crowd? How unusual for you." The kid rolled her eyes and he kissed her briefly. "You know having hair like this is hard." He kept his face serious. "It's not for the faint of heart."

"Having blond hair is treacherous?" Her voice was disbelieving.

"It is. If you're not careful it can turn green."

Her laughter rang across the room. "Seriously?" He could see the delight in her eyes. "Your hair's turned green before?"

"No."

Deeg pushed at his shoulders. "You're so mean! How could you string me along like that?"

He smirked. "You say that like it's hard to do."

"You know what? I'm done with you." Shooing him away from her she slid off the dresser and gathered up her clothes. Sticking her nose in the air she sauntered into the bathroom. "Have fun by yourself today. I have things to do in the library anyway."

He grinned after her. He'd give her ten minutes to get bored before she came looking for him. Tugging off his shirt he started to change when he heard the water in the bathroom start. Maybe he could get her to go swimming today.

Author Note: Review! Seriously, it takes like ten seconds. ;)


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Tin Man isn't my property. Ajax is and he says hi. Are you happy now catyuy?

"Deeg!" He'd give her credit for sticking to her guns. The girl had been missing for over two hours. He'd turned his back for less than thirty seconds and she was gone. He was at a loss to figure out how she'd managed to sneak past him. For the first hour he had simply decided to get breakfast and wait for her to show up. When she didn't he had let out a long sigh and started searching for her. He was sure they had talked about her not eating before. The girl was sneaky. He blamed himself for getting distracted. He should have known better than to try to brush his teeth in isolation.

Remembering she had mentioned researching the spell on him he headed toward the only place he knew of that might hold that information. "Kid, where are you?"

"Over here." Her voice drifted across the lower floor of the library and he headed in the direction it came from. Deeg continued on, her voice relaying her slight confusion. "Why are you yelling?"

"Because you weren't answering."

"I must not have been where you were."

He rolled his eyes as he turned around the end of a bookcase and found her lounging in a battered old oak chair. Her legs were propped up over a long table in front of her and she was flipping through a dusty book as she scanned the pages. "What are you doing?"

Deeg was frowning and a small line ran between her eyebrows as she focused on the words in front of her. "Trying to figure out how to take the spell off you. I think I need to find, like, an ancients grammar book. Whatever I did doesn't seem to be covered in the newer books." What she was holding was a new book? The thing had to be older than that map she had the other day. Then again if she was talking about hunting down a book to translate the ancients language from she was going to be after books that were as old as the Zone was. If she found a book that could help her do that he would never see her again. She would lock herself in here and continue to research until she turned into a shriveled up mummy. Or worse, end up like Tutor.

He took in the table covered from one end to the other with piles of books and papers and shook his head. He had no idea how she had managed to amass this amount of information in a little over two hours. Taking the tome from her hands he shoved a stray sheet of paper in it to mark her place before tossing it on top the pile. "You're done."

"Hey!" Grabbing at the book she leaned forward as he bent down and wrapped his arms around her waist. Picking her up he tossed her over his shoulder and headed toward the exit. "Cain!"

Bouncing her slightly he growled good-naturedly at her legs. "That is not my name, Deeg. How many times are we goin' to go over this? My name is Wyatt." Admittedly she was used to calling him by his family name but they were far more than friends now and he wanted a different level of intimacy with her. They were equals and using his last name didn't have them standing that way. All it did was put distance between them. That was unacceptable when he was courting her.

Her hands scrabbled for purchase on the back of his duster. "Put me down right now!" He raised his eyebrow at her tone. She had turned into a Gale on him.

"No." She spluttered in rage at his unwillingness to comply with her demand. "What did I say about relaxin'?"

She squirmed in his grip. "I need to get that spell off you! This is no time for a vacation!"

"Gettin' you to relax is like gettin' Glitch to focus on a single topic."

Managing to twist slightly she poked his shoulder, the one he hadn't flung her over. "I can't believe you right now! Are you at all concerned that the spell I cast hurt you?"

They were nearly out of the princess trapping room. "Can't say I am."

"Are you as crazy as everyone thinks you are? It _stung_ you!" He would like to know who classified him as crazy. Sure, he could name five or six off the top of his head but he wasn't sure those were the same people she was referring to. He should probably stay on topic while talking to the kid though.

"Deeg-" He flipped her over his shoulder in the entryway of the library. Setting her on her feet he held her sides so she couldn't escape him and looked into her eyes. "-if you put a protection spell on me then the last thing I'm worried about is it somehow killing me."

"I didn't know what I was doing!" She threw her hands in the air in agitation. "I still don't know what it is!"

He kissed her gently. "Sweetheart, no matter how upset you were when you cast it you wanted to keep me safe. Why would you assume that it would somehow hurt me when you never would?" She blinked at him as she processed that. "If anything I feel safer with it attached to me even if neither of us knows exactly what it does."

"You said it hurt." The kid was stuck on that point. If the roles were reversed he would be too.

"It felt like a shock you would get when someone touches you after they walked across a carpet. It was hardly traumatizing."

Her shoulders slumped and she gazed past his shoulder toward her books. "But-"

"No more work." Pushing her toward the door he spun her around. "The whole reason we're here is so you stop workin'."

"I haven't done anything in over a week." Deeg was allowing herself to be slowly led toward the nearest exit.

"I know. You've been doin' a good job. It'd be a shame to ruin your streak."

Deeg continue to argue with him but he was sure he could out stubborn her. "It's only reading."

"Yeah, technical jargon on magic. Nothing about that is fun unless you can turn yourself into a dog."

Her nose wrinkled in frustration. "I haven't gotten that far yet. Transformation is hard."

"You've tried?"

"Well, yeah, but nothing happened except I got a nosebleed." Tutor was pushing her so hard she got _nosebleeds_? That wasn't going to be happening again or he would be one dead dog. The kid twisted around and he barely managed to catch her and turn her around before she could make it back to the library.

"No you don't." Spotting a glass door that led onto a small balcony facing the lake he turned them in that direction. "Outside."

Digging her shoes into the tile didn't do much to help her. The floors were so smooth he simply slid her closer to the exit. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

He grinned at her. "I'm a stubborn man."

"Tell me something I don't know."

He considered that for a moment. "When Jeb was little I carved him toys."

The kid's blue eyes gazed up at him in surprise. "Where did that come from?"

His eyebrow quirked up as he opened the door and got both of them out into the suns. "You asked me to tell you something you didn't know about me."

"That's an expression from the Otherside." This didn't seem to distract her from this new bit of information. "You made that little horse?" Her eyes were as big as saucers.

"I did."

"Wow." He had somehow managed to thoroughly impress her without even trying. "Why haven't I seen anything else you've made?"

He shrugged. "I haven't made anything since we met."

"Why not?" Her curiosity over this had distracted her from any and all interest in getting the spell off of him. That was good in his opinion.

"I haven't really had the time and I never bothered to pick up any carving tools."

"Do you like to carve things?"

"Sure." It was relaxing and he had always liked the experience of transforming a shapeless piece of wood into something Jeb would enjoy playing with. His son had always given him such bright smiles when he gave him a new toy. When he had turned six Jeb had wanted to learn how to make things the same way he did. Capturing his boy he set him in his lap and begun to show him how to hold the tools in his hand as he carved. Adora had watched them from her seat next to the fire with a smile playing on her face.

That had been before the war. It was one of the last trouble free memories he had of his old life and he treasured it. A few months ago and he would have pushed any thought of his lost wife and failure away, along with everything associated with it. But not anymore. Deeg, in the patient understanding way she had, had managed to show him that his past was as important as his present. It helped knowing he could tell her about things like that and she wouldn't shy away from him or the mention of Adora and the life he had once had with her. He wasn't sure many women would be comfortable knowing he thought about Adora but Deeg never seemed bothered by it.

The kid in question took hold of his hand and started dragging him down the short set of stairs eagerly. "You have lots of time now."

His lip twitched at her enthusiasm. Deeg was pulling him toward the woods. "Darlin', I don't have anything to carve with but my razor and I'm not about to ruin it. I don't particularly enjoy havin' a beard. It itches."

She laughed at that but continued to drag him after her. "No big deal. I can make you tools with my magic." He didn't even know why he was startled by that. Tutor had made her art supplies and she had significantly more magic than the pooch did. Still, the older mage knew what he was making when he used his gift.

"You know what they look like?"

"I grew up in a farm town. I know what wood carving tools look like."

Amused he allowed her to guide him into the tree line. "Then I take it we're going to go get something for me to carve?"

"Such a smart tin man."

"You're excited about this."

"Duh, I want to see your mad skills."

"I don't think this is goin' to be all that excitin' for you." He began to scan the forest floor for a suitable piece of lumber. "I haven't done anything in years. It's not goin' to be perfect by a long shot. I'm rusty."

"Practice makes perfect." The girl had let him go as he bent down to brush some leaves away. Picking up a fallen branch he tossed it away after a long minutes consideration. The internal grain was too warped to work with. He stood up to find Deeg staring up at a tree. Two branches forked off of it about twelve feet above her and she was fixated on the spot.

"Kid?"

Her voice was hushed. "I thought you said you only saw them when it rained."

His eyes flew up to the tree as he quietly stepped up next to her. Gazing down at them was a sky dancer. He sucked in a nearly inaudible breath as the large bird hopped out of the hallow it was resting in and landed farther out on the branch. The size of an eagle and pure white from beak to tail it gazed down at them with intelligent brown eyes. As they watched one another it raised a tall crest of feathers up over its head and let out an eerie call.

The kid smiled brilliantly and the bird turned until it was in profile and ruffled up all its feathers. Its tail fanned out below it and it bent its head down at a comical angle. The kid giggled and the animal hid its face behind a wing. He frowned in confusion. If he didn't know better he would swear the thing was flirting with her. When her laughter faded away it peeked over the top of its feathers and let out a long coo. He grunted, torn between annoyance and amusement. "You've got to be kiddin' me."

Deeg was ignoring him as she watched the bird in fascination. "It's so pretty."

Before he could reply the bird leapt to the other branch and opened its wings slightly as it preened. The girl had made yet another friend. "Yeah, pretty."

"What's the matter with you?" Deeg walked slowly closer which didn't faze the bird at all. These things were supposed to be secretive and mysterious animals. Not birds that blatantly sought out attention from beautiful princesses. That thought made him close his eyes and shake his head. He was jealous of a damned bird. What was wrong with him?

"Nothin'." He clicked his tongue as he studied the dancer and it gave him a dismissive look before turning its full attention to the girl. His eyebrow quirked up in interest. "Use you magic."

"Why?" Her face came to his.

"They were made by Glinda. Her line married into yours ages ago. It might sense her magic flowin' through ya." That would certainly explain the animal's enthrallment with her.

Deeg tilted her head up and let her magic pulse out of her in soft waves. Spreading its feathers it let out a beautiful piercing note and sprang out of the tree. It flew in a graceful descending circle before landing agilely on a nearby log. Lowering itself to its white belly it extended its wings out and arched his neck toward the ground in supplication. Deeg shook her head quickly. "You don't need to do that."

The bird straightened and all its feathers slicked down. "I'll be damned." The bird turned so its tail feathers were to him. He glared at the bird irritably. The kid smiled more widely. "There you go makin' more annoyin' acquaintances. Be careful we still haven't gotten rid of the last few."

"Awww! Don't be grumpy because he doesn't like you."

"You think I'm grumpy anyway. I don't see why this should make a difference." She tore her big blue eyes away from the sky dancer she had been so eager to see and looked at him. The girl was watching him cautiously and he winced. That may have come out sharper than he intended. The bird wasn't making him near as happy as it was her. Deeg was only teasing in her excitement and he'd gone and marred the experience. "Sorry, Darlin'." She nodded in acceptance and returned to her discovery but a lot of the joy in her had vanished. Cursing himself he stepped up behind her and kissed her neck tenderly. "Don't be sad. I didn't mean it the way it came out."

"It's ok." This was another one of those things she claimed was less meaningful to her than they really were. Wrapping his arms around her firmly he held her against his chest and placed his jaw on the top of her head to show his affection. After a few moments she leaned into him and he calmed down a bit. Once she was comfortable with him again she started asking questions. "Why do you think this one's out here?"

"Don't know." He eyed the bird. "Why are you here, pillow stuffin'?"

Deeg shook with silent giggles as the dancer poofed up indignantly. It's beak clacked unhappily and its crest frilled up again. "You're good at diplomacy."

"I was a tin man and now I'm head of palace security. I'm not a politician."

"Thank god for that." The kid's arms went up to rest over his and the last of the tension evaporated. Deeg returned her attention to the bird. "Why are you so close to the edge of the forest?"

The dancer bobbed its head up and down twice before freezing with its beak pointed straight into the air and his neck turned in a way that resembled a corkscrew. His eyebrow quirked up in bafflement. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Deeg's hair tickled his neck as she stared up at the treetops. "Maybe he has a nest up there? But we aren't that deep in the forest. You said they only nested there." A strangled squawk met that guess and they both looked down. The bird extended one wing and pointed up in the same direction its head had been in. "I don't get it."

He didn't either. "I-" Overhead a crash of thunder sounded and Deeg squeaked as he instinctively hunched his body over hers. Lightning flashed before the sound died away and the dancer let loose one last cry before taking off into the air. He caught a glimpse of white before the bird vanished into the thick foliage of the trees and a sheet of rain fell over them. The trees were growing so close together that he hadn't noticed the sky darkening as clouds massed overhead. He hadn't thought the rain could move in so fast but he supposed the clouds could have been funneled down by the mountains.

They were both soaked within seconds and he let her go with a sigh. "They do like the rain."

Deeg gave him a lopsided grin. "To be fair he did try to warn us."

That was giving of the girl. "No, he tried to warn you. I think he's pretty pleased I'm soaked to the bone."

She laughed up at him and grabbed his hand. "Come on, Wyatt. Finding you art supplies will have to wait until the rain stops." That was true enough. Letting her take the lead he watched her through the rain as she picked her way out of the forest. Maybe once he had tools again he could make her something. Deeg would like that more than any gift he could buy her no matter how rough the end product was. She was the oddest princess he had ever met. It was probably why he loved her so much.

Author Note: I am very impressed with the amount of reviews I received and to La-Petit-Aviateur way to go above and beyond. Who types that much on a phone? Huge props and huggles to everyone!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Deeg ran after him laughing as he pulled her into the palace. He had gotten ahead of her when they broke through the tree line. Behind them the downpour continued and they came to a stop a few feet inside the palace. He sighed as water dripped off the brim off his fedora and hit the tile floor at his feet. Deeg gazed up at him from under her soaked hair and giggled at his expression. Taking his hat she lifted it off his head and shook it so most of the water was sprayed away from them. "You're a little wet, Tin Man."

"Me?" At least he had a hat and waterproof jacket. As soon as he was out of them he'd be pretty dry. The kids clothes were soaked and clinging appealing to her body. He had never thought much about her fondness for pants before but with them skin tight and dripping against her legs he found them to be one of the most attractive things he had ever seen a woman wear. He did have a horrible weakness for her legs. "Deeg, you look like you went for that swim in the lake you refuse to take."

Glancing down at her clothes she looked up grinning. "I guess we should change."

Humming in agreement he let her take his hand and lead him toward his room as his eyes hooded. While she was watching where they were going his eyes flicked over the back of her body. She was gorgeous. A shiver ran down her and he saw goose bumps forming on her bare arms. Turning into their hall they walked to his door and her hand loosened. Before she could slip away he spun them through the door and into a tight embrace.

Catching her neck he lowered his face to hers and pressed a warm kiss against her lips. Deeg sighed into him and wrapped her arms over his shoulders as he walked them slowly to the bedroom. Breaking away to pull air into her lungs her eyes took in their surroundings and she shifted nervously in his arms. He had no doubt she knew where he wanted this to go. "Let's get you out of those wet clothes, Sweetheart. You're shivering."

"Wyatt…" Her voice had dropped to a soft whisper.

Nibbling his way down her neck he told her exactly what he was thinking. "I want you."

She gasped and tilted her head so he had more access. "I-" He nipped at her collarbone and she caught her breath. "I want you too."

Heat flashed through him like a wildfire as he lifted his head up and found her lips again. The girl practically melted into him but he could feel her beginning to shake. Pulling away he gazed into her eyes. "Deeg?" He stroked her face gently. "What's wrong?"

She tucked her head under his jaw. "I'm scared."

Never once had the girl admitted to being afraid of anything. This was more of a jump for her than he realized. Bringing her palm up to his lips he kissed it tenderly. "I won't hurt you." Folding her hand he moved his lips to her knuckles. "Do you need more time, Deeg?" If she wanted to stop he wasn't going to press the issue.

"No." Her eyes came back to his and he saw the fear in them but there were other, stronger, emotions there as well. "I need you."

Capturing her lips he held her tightly at her confession. He needed her too. He slid his hands to her hips and slowly took hold of the bottom of her soaked blouse. A shuddering breath escaped her as she loosened her grip on his shoulders and raised her hands over her head. Keeping his eyes on hers he peeled the wet fabric up and off of her. Letting it drop to the floor he hugged her against him as he admired the picture she made in the blue lace covering her chest.

As his fingers grazed her bare ribs her hands went to his shoulders and pushed his duster away. He let her go long enough for it to follow her shirt to the ground before wrapping her back up. Her lips left his and began a slow, soft trail across his jaw. The gentleness she was displaying, along with his knowledge of what a step like this meant to both of them, kept his longing under tight control for the moment. Deeg deserved patience. He deserved it too. Tangling his hand in her wet hair he inhaled deeply as her small fingers began to unbutton his vest.

Following her lead he reached between them and unhooked her pants as he continued to unwrap her at a lazy pace. As far as he was concerned they had all the time in the world. Feeling the girl finish with the last button on his vest he lowered himself to his knees in front of her as he tossed it off. Kissing her stomach affectionately had her brushing her fingers through his hair with a soft sigh. Reaching down he lifted her foot and removed the green slipper she was wearing before reaching for the other one. Deeg stepped out of them and held herself still as he began to remove the now loose pants around her hips. When he found more blue lace under them he growled in approval before standing back up and lifting her out of the pooled fabric.

She gasped in surprise as he twisted them and set her on the edge of his bed. Tugging at his own shirt he tore it over his head as the girl scooted farther back so she could stretch out fully over the blankets. Kicking off his boots he climbed over her and caught her lips as he rested his weight on the mattress next to her, one arm on either side of her small body. Moving his head away he smiled warmly down at her blue eyes as his skin began to heat up. "You are beautiful, Sweetheart."

Blushing prettily at him he noted with pleased fascination that the pink hue traveled all the way down to the navy lace. Tracing the underside of the small corset had her sighing in pleasure and she tried to push farther up into his hand. A low rumble escaped him and he kissed the soft spot behind her ear as he whispered huskily to her. "I'm goin' to make sure you remember this." Her eyes flashed with lust and unease as he began tracing nonsensical patterns over her stomach.

Her abdomen tightened at the contact and she stretched out below him like a cat. "Wyatt." Her nearly breathless whisper had him moving. The girl was nervous despite her desire and that wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want any part of this experience to scare her. Kissing her gently he slid his arm under her shoulders and flipped her onto her stomach. Instantly she tried to roll back over as her entire body went stiff.

Bending over her he kissed her shoulder gently as he held her down with his other hand. "Easy now. Remember all you have to do is say stop." Sucking in a quavering breath she slowly relaxed into the blankets. It was good she trusted him. There needed to be trust between them. He praised her softly. "That's my girl." Sitting back up on his knees he straddled her legs and began to massage her in lazy circles. Her muscles twitched below his hands and she sighed in pleasure as he carefully dug his thumbs into the long muscles that ran down her spine. After several minutes of lazy caresses he broke the silence. "Does that feel good, Darlin'?"

Deeg had curled her arms up and buried her head in them. At his question she nodded into them. "That's good." Flicking the odd hooks on the back of her corset he let the straps fall to the side. Lowering his head he kissed the back of her neck as his hands strayed to her rib cage. "It'll only get better." A shudder ran down her body at his quiet promise and he nuzzled his nose behind her ear. "I'm goin' to have ya screamin' for me before long."

"Oh, God." His eyes fell to half-mast at her reaction. His words had thrown her into hard lust. Her entire body was flushed and her breathing had shallowed dramatically. Filing that bit of information away for future use he rested one of his arms on the bed next to her shoulder so he wouldn't crush her. As he did his other hand smoothed over her hip and slipped beneath the lace covering her. Deeg realized his intention and her hips raised off the bed as much as they could with him lying on top of her. The moment his fingertips touched the small bud between her legs she let out low moan.

Circling her center he nibbled at her neck as she began to gasp and squirm below him. Dipping one of his fingers lower he caught the warm moisture collecting between her legs and coated her with it to increase the sensations she was experiencing. His name fell from her lips and his own arousal began to spike. Deeg felt that and rubbed her backside against him as he teased her. Groaning he flicked her clit and she began to stiffen as her hands tangled in the sheets next to her head. Listening to her body as well as the sounds tumbling from her lips he could tell how close she was. Putting his lips against her ear he growled as he rubbed her in firm circles. "Come."

Her body went rigid as her cry filled his bedroom. Immensely pleased that she had fallen so quickly he continued to rub her as her orgasm rolled over her. Gasping in ecstasy her hips ground into his hand for a long minute before she slowly went limp. Kissing his way along her shoulders he pushed himself up and hooked his hand around the blue lace as he got off of her. Once he sat up he got off the bed to remove the last of his clothing before returning to her.

Deeg had begun to turn over when his eyes came back to her. She had stretched out on her side with her hair tumbling in curly waves over her shoulder. Her skin was flushed pink from her recent orgasm and he could see the moisture he had spread over her gleaming on her exposed thigh. Blood roared in his ears and he was back over her again so fast she gasped in surprise. Pulling her lower lip between his teeth he nibbled gently and she moaned. Her long pale leg wrapped over his hip and all the fantasies he had about her were blown out of the water. This was infinitely better.

"Sweetheart." His voice was husky with need. "Are you ready?"

Her leg tightened and she tilted her hips up so he was pressed tightly over her slick opening. "Are you?" Her blue eyes were hot and locked on his. Capturing her lips he caught her hip to hold her still as he slid slowly into her tight embrace. Their simultaneous moans blended together and he had to press his eyes closed to regain control. It was his turn to shudder as pleasure like he couldn't remember feeling assaulted his senses. One of her delicate hands ran over his neck and tangled into his hair as her lips found his jaw. "Wyatt." Her own voice was no more than a ragged whisper. "Make me scream again."

A low laugh escaped him and he kissed her once more before he pulled out and rocked back in. Her hips tilted to meet him and he kept his eye on her face as he began to thrust into her in gently. Her eyes were dilated, and to his amazement she didn't try to look away from him. He found himself trapped in her gaze and lowered his forehead to hers as he gripped her hip more firmly and tilted her up. The second he changed the angle he was entering her from she whimpered and caught his lips in a hot, desperate kiss.

Her inner muscles tightened around him and he gasped. "_Deeg_." He pushed into her harder and twisted his arm under her shoulders so he could hold her more closely against him. "Gods, you're sweet."

Her head fell back and he latched onto the base of her neck. Sucking on her skin had her bending off the bed to meet him. Their slick skin rubbed together as words escaped him. All he could do was pant and groan as the mewls falling from her lips increased in frequency and volume. His mind fogged over and he could feel himself teetering dangerously on the brink. Fighting to take her with him he clenched his teeth as his body demanded release and he began to speed up. He lost his rhythm moments later and only the feel of her nails scratching into his lower back as she let loose a gratified scream allowed him to let go. His own shout followed hers and he gripped her hard as he buried himself as far inside of her as he could get. His body was stiff with tension as he released inside her in a hot burst that didn't seem to end. After what seemed like an eternity of bliss he collapsed over her as all the strength he had left him.

Sucking in air he saw lights dancing across his vision as Deeg tucked her head into his neck. Her uneven breathing blew over his skin and he thought it would be best to get off of the girl before he crushed her to death. When he began to move her arms and legs tightened around him weakly. "Stay."

Easing back down over her he reached up and stroked her hair. "Ok." He laid still, covering her, until he simply couldn't anymore. Rolling to his side he turned her over so he could spoon her against him. He didn't want to break contact with her for a number of reasons. Other than the obvious, wanting to satisfy his new streak of possessiveness, he knew keeping her close would reassure her more than anything else could. He didn't want her feeling like he had taken what he wanted and was done with her. He had no intention of leaving and she didn't need thoughts like that floating around her head when she was still considering taking off on her own. Not that he thought her conviction over the matter was all that strong anymore. It didn't mean one good scare wouldn't have her fortifying it.

Her hand began to rub down his arm slowly. A contented sigh escaped him and he cuddled her closer. "How're you feelin', Darlin'?" Instead of answering him she tugged his hand up and kissed his knuckles. Moving his fingers he brushed her cheek gently and she tilted her face into his touch. "Deeg?"

The kid turned her face farther into the mattress. "Shy."

A chuckle rumbled out of him and she complained faintly. "Wyatt."

"I'm sorry." He pressed a kiss to the back of her head. "That wasn't the answer I was expectin'." Deeg had begun to curl up defensively when he started laughing and he ran his hand over her side to stretch her out again. "Not much fazes you."

Deeg didn't reply and he tucked her closer. The bashfulness she was displaying would fade as this became more frequent between them. He intended to make it more frequent as soon as he caught his breath. Still, that didn't mean Deeg had to wait for him to recover.

He stroked one of her breast gently and she sighed in satisfaction. Cupping her had her pressing into his touch and he smiled indulgently. Letting his hand wander down her warm skin he rumbled into her ear. "Do you want to come again, Sweetheart?"

"What?" The kid was startled by his calm question and he stroked his hand between her legs as the question was leaving her lips. She gasped and caught his hand with hers. "Wyatt!"

"Hmmm?" He brushed her lightly with his fingertips and she let out a strangled cry.

"Please!"

"Please what?" He continued to tease her already sensitive bud and she shook. "Please keep goin'? Please stop? Please more?" Gasping she bent into him. "All you have to do is tell me, Deeg."

Teetering on the brink between embarrassment and need she let out a strangled plea. "Harder!"

Growling in approval he pressed down slightly and she thrashed. Shoving his other arm between her side and the mattress he looped it around her middle and pinned her against him. "Better?"

"God!" She was whimpering in frustration. "No, it's not better! Stop teasing me!"

"You won't tell me what you want me to do." He was enjoying watching her squirm and flush. He knew she would find a way to get even with him for this and was delighted by the prospect.

"You know what I want you to do." She was trying to grind her hips into his hand but he wasn't letting her.

"I'm doing what you asked. Maybe you should be more specific."

"Make me come, damn it!"

"How?"

"Wyatt!"

He refused to give in to her now. She was close to breaking past a barrier with him. A few more seconds and he would have her asking for exactly what she wanted. That would help clarify what she liked later on. He wanted her to scream for him every time. If he knew what she liked that would be so much easier. "Tell me or I'll stop."

"Fuck!" She jerked once. "Pinch me!"

His eyebrow quirked up but he did what she asked without hesitation. Snapping his fingers around her he flicked her hard and she screamed in relief as her body convulsed. He tightened his grip so she wouldn't fall away from him as she peaked and then she was going slack against him as she panted heavily. Immensely satisfied that he had made her come three times in less than an hour he relaxed into the bed. Deeg was still trying to catch her breath as he rolled her over so he could see her face. Her eyes were pressed closed and he brushed her hair back off her sweaty forehead.

Kissing her lightly he started caressing her in a much more tender manner. The kid's eyes fluttered open and she cuddled up against him. Deeg pressed her lips back against his and they fell into an unhurried exploration of each other. Her small hands smoothed over his spine and he rumbled contentedly as he tugged her leg over his waist before rolling onto his back. Deeg ran her palms over his chest before he urged her down over him. Sliding across him she kissed him right below his ear and he ran his fingers through her wild curls.

"Wyatt?" Her voice quavered slightly and he stopped moving.

"Hmm?" Deeg turned her head into his shoulder as a shiver ran down her. "Darlin'?"

"I'm tired." He was too.

"Do you want to get some of your tea so you won't dream?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Ok. Try to sleep, Sweetheart. Maybe the dreams'll stay away."

Her fingers twitched around his shoulder and she spoke so quietly he barely heard her even with her mouth so close to his ear. "Will you be here when I wake up?" He went stiff below her and feeling it she hunched her shoulders. "Nevermi-"

"Yes." Turning his head he kissed her temple, the only part of her face that wasn't hidden. "Look at me, Deeg." He rolled so she was lying on the mattress next to him. Cupping her cheek he forced her eyes to his. He never would have guessed he'd see the girl looking so very vulnerable. "I love you. Why would I leave you?"

Deeg jerked, as if she were trying to catch herself. Then she was burying herself as close to him as she could manage. A grunt of surprise left him before he could think to wrap his arm around her. Deeg was trembling badly though she wasn't making a sound. Worry tore at him and he tucked the blanket around them securely. "Hey, hey. Shhhh. It's ok." Deeg nodded her head and clung to him. "It's alright, Darlin'." This wasn't the reaction he had been expecting. He should have known better with the history she had. Holding her against him he kissed her head and waited for the shock to run its course. Hopefully, when it did, she wouldn't try to run from him anymore.

Author Note: Thanks for the reviews guys! They make me happy, like this chapter made you. Am I right? I know I'm right. Hit the review button.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: It's still not mine but I do enjoy getting to know the characters.

"Sweetheart?" The girl hadn't moved in too long for his liking. "Are you goin' to talk to me?"

Instead of answering she pressed her lips against his shoulder and began to work her way down his chest. He groaned and fought to stay on topic with her. "Deeg, stop for a second." The girl stopped moving but her trembling started again. With a frown he sat them up. One look at her face and he knew asking her about this directly was a lost cause until she calmed down. All it would do was to send her into another panic. Suppressing a sigh he kissed her forehead before getting out of bed. Deeg watched him moving away quietly. "Stay there. I'll be right back."

Grabbing a clean cloth he ran it under the taps after the water warmed up and squeezed it before returning to Deeg. Sitting down on the edge of the bed he caught her around the middle and dragged her into his lap with his free hand. Finding her lips he kissed her gently as he stared washing her off. The girl froze for a moment before her cheeks blazed red and she grabbed his wrist. "What are you doing?"

Shaking out of her grip he kissed her again before running the cloth between her legs. "Cleanin' us up a bit. We'll be more comfortable this way." She squirmed and he tightened his hold as a smile flickered over his face. "You don't need to be embarrassed. Seen every bit of you now and believe me there's nothin' there that isn't perfect." He finished as he spoke and slid her back onto the blankets. Wiping himself off he got back up to toss the cloth in the bathroom before heading to the bed.

While he had been gone Deeg had pulled his shirt on and was sitting with her legs pulled up against her chest. He noticed her blush had faded to a light pink but it wasn't going anywhere fast. Thinking quickly he sat against the headboard and put her in his lap again. The kid was slow to relax and he kissed her temple. She was jumpy and he needed to calm her down. "You're alright, Sweetheart."

"I know."

His hand ghosted up her spine. "You're not actin' like you know."

Deeg shifted and he felt her forcing her body to listen to her. "Sorry." Twisting in his arms she straddled him as he held her. Taking a few deep breaths she loosened up and he patted her side reassuringly.

"What's goin' on in that head of yours, Sweetheart?"

Deeg raised her eyes to the ceiling so she didn't have to look into his. Bracing herself she spoke. "I'm embarrassed I freaked out on you. I hate that I'm so messed up and you have to deal with it. I'm tired of being tired all the time and the only thing I can say about this stupid place is that sometimes I remember it." She sucked in a quavering breath. "I miss my parents even though they never loved me." She swiped at her eyes. "Not really. Not the way they were supposed to. Not the way humans would. I hate that there gone and I can't even have some sort of closure on it because they still, well, they're still alive. The only time I ever felt at home is when I'm with you and that terrifies me more than I can even begin to explain." She nodded, he thought to herself, and simply stopped speaking.

He stroked her cheek affectionately. "You don't need to feel bad about any of that."

"But I do."

Struggling with himself for a long minute he finally told her something he had promised himself he never would. She had been honest. He should be too. "When you let me out of the suit I hated you."

Her blue eyes flew to him in horror and he rubbed his hand down her neck as he met her eyes. "Not because you let me out. It was because despite everything; the time, the loss, what I had to watch, you made me remember who I was. There was so much hate Deeg. It was all I could understand anymore. I hated that I let my family get tortured and murdered, because when I was in that suit I thought that was what happened. I hated that of all the people in the Outer Zone, you, a slipper that was more lost than anyone I'd ever met, was the one that finally freed me. My resistance cell never came looking, no one that passed by in all those years wanted to get involved. I sat there and rusted over because no one cared.

The girl was barely breathing as she listened. "I hated that you made me care enough to take you to the city. I hated that you told me I was better than a murderer when everything in me was screamin' to be one. I hated that I felt enough to come back for you when I found out the witch wanted your head and had you trapped. I hated that you got taken from me the same damn way my wife and son were. I hated that you would have gotten out of that tower without my help because you were brave, and bright, and more clever than I ever would have given you credit for. Then we were runnin' again and I started forgetting about Zero for hours at a time. I hated you all over again for that, for makin' me want to help a country that turned on me and left me to rot more than getting' what I wanted for so many years. What I obsessed over to stay just this side of sane."

His breathing was getting ragged but he couldn't stop the words now that they started. "Then, all of a sudden, I didn't hate you at all. How could I when you were risking your life for us? We were strangers in a place you didn't know. You had no reason to help us but you did. You never complained. You never balked at doin' what you had to. You went out of your way to help me when I was anything but nice." He paused for a long moment. "You stayed with me the night I found Adora."

Deeg caught his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I know you thought I didn't notice that you lied. How you curled up against my leg while I pretended to keep watch against an old tree because you said the forest scared you at night. You just wanted to make me feel better and you had no idea how. After that I couldn't let anything happen to you. It had nothing to do with promises, or the fact that you were a princess. You were family then. Just like that. You were all I had left and I made peace with that while I sat under that tree. I knew that would be enough for me. I knew you would be enough because you were sweet, and bold, and cared about me when you knew exactly what I was. I hadn't had a real friend in such a long time and you were so loyal."

"Wyatt-" He caught her lips briefly before leaning back and giving her a warm smile. "Then I found Jeb. I don't think I've ever been so happy in my entire life. I only found him because of you. You gave me my family back, Sweetheart. It was different, and we had all lost somethin', but it was family all the same. You're not the only one that feels at home when we're together."

The girl wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed her face into the crook of his neck. His arms wound around her back and he let out a long breath. He thought that was the most he had spoken since he had joined the resistance. "Wyatt?"

"Yeah?"

"We are really screwed up people."

He couldn't help but laugh at that and he felt the kid smiling into his skin. As far as he was concerned her return to a relative state of normality was a good thing. It was what they needed. Little steps were as important as the big ones. "Everyone has problems, Deeg. Ours are more unique than other people's is all. You need to look on the bright side though."

"There's a bright side?"

"At least we both have whole brains."

Deeg giggled and sat back even as she poked his chest reprovingly. "Would you be nice?"

"Only to you and Jeb. Everyone else is on their own."

"At least I'm on your good side."

Smirking he started to unbutton the shirt she had wrapped herself in. "Darlin', you can be on any side of me you want."

Her blush returned with a vengeance as he parted the fabric and ran his hands over her exposed skin. One long look at her and he was ready again. He hardened between her legs and Deeg raised herself slightly on her knees to give him room to move but he ignored the invitation, at least for the moment. Holding her he rolled and laid her on her back. Settling himself over her he kissed her neck and ran his hands over her rib cage.

"I'm never goin' to be able to look at this shirt the same way again."

Deeg smiled and ran her hands to his hips. "You could always take it off."

"Nope, I like you in it." Making his way down he nuzzled the soft spot between her breasts and her laughter turned to a gasp. Smiling he kissed the spot. "What do you want?" He moved his mouth to the swell of her breast and she sighed happily.

"You."

He chuckled and scraped his teeth gently across her skin. "That's sweet, Darlin'." Her legs came up to cradle his hips. "But I think we already talked about you bein' specific."

"You blackmailed that out of me." His grin grew and he wrapped his lips over her nipple and sucked. Deeg gasped and tangled her hands in his hair to hold him in place. Raising one hand he began to tease her other one with his thumb. The girl began to thrash and he pinned her to the bed with his hips. She was vocal when he did something she liked.

Lifting his head a few inches he moved back to her face. Her eyes were dilated and her flush was no longer being cause by a sense of modesty. "Am I goin' to have to blackmail every answer from you?"

Her eyes glittered as she bent her neck so she could seal her lips against his. "Probably."

Intrigued by her lack of cooperation he squeezed her breast firmly. "Give me a hint, Deeg."

Her eyes flashed with stubborn rebellion. "No."

The kid was enjoying teasing him far too much. Lowering his mouth to her ear he murmured to her. "Sweetheart, I have a fairly good idea about what makes you wet already." Her legs tightened minutely and he was satisfied with her response. "Why don't you go ahead and tell me what'll make you come."

Deeg turned her head and nipped his neck. "You already made me come three times. Are you afraid you're not man enough to do it again?"

She was goading him? Unexpectedly that had him more excited than he had been before. Shoving her deeper into the mattress he growled at her. "Deeg, I have no doubt that I can make you scream until you black out."

"Prove it then."

Considering her for several seconds he sat up and crossed his legs underneath him. Reaching for her he growled softly. "Come here, Sweetheart."

Deeg slid over him and he took hold of her hips so he could pull her flush against him. The girl grabbed at his shoulder to keep her balance and he kissed her hotly as he snaked his arms around her back. "Wrap your legs around me." Deeg complied slowly as she worked out this position and her hands went around his shoulders to help her.

Holding her with one arm he reached between them and positioned himself before pressing into her. Deeg arched as she sank over him. The girl moaned loudly and he stilled when he was fully inside her. "Wyatt." Her breathy whisper combined with the feeling of her all around him had his head spinning. They were tangled up and he had no intention of changing that. He wanted them tangled up together, physically and emotionally.

"Oh, Darlin'." Starting to move agonizingly slowly he sighed. Her arms tightened around him and she began to whimper as they rocked together. Turning his arm he pressed it up her spine and caught the nape of her neck with his hand. Making her face him he kissed her slowly, imitating the movement of his hips with his tongue for a few seconds. Deeg sighed into his mouth as her body tightened around him and she tried to speed them up. Tearing his mouth away he growled at her and stopped moving. "No."

"Please." She was practically begging. "Wyatt, harder."

"No." As calmly as he could he began to rock them again holding her tightly. He could stay in control in this position. She didn't have any leverage to hurry this if he didn't let her. "I told you I was goin' to take my time."

A shiver ran down her. "I need you, Tin Man. Please."

"You have me." He started to trail kisses down her neck. "But you're tryin' to fight me. This isn't a fight you can win." A loud whine escaped her as he spoke. "You need to give in to this. You had to know at some point you'd give into somethin'."

"Can't." She was gasping.

"Yes, you can." Lifting his head he stared into her hazy eyes. The girl was half lost in pleasure. "You're so close, Deeg. Let go. I promise its safe."

Her body began to stiffen and he stopped a second time. She let out a sob of frustration but he knew it would feel so much better if he let her build. Once he was sure she wasn't going to explode the second he moved he began again. Deeg tried to lower her head but he wouldn't let her. "No, look at me."

"Too much."

"That's because you won't let go." He pressed his lips to hers again, so hard that her head tipped back. "I know you want to. Stop fightin' for me. Do it for me, Deeg." Something in her eyes shifted. He saw it a second before her sweat slicked body molded completely against his. Groaning in relief at her acceptance of what was between them he pressed into her a little harder and she arched back. He thrust into her two more times before she went stiff and cried his name out. Pushing into her one last time he let go as she gripped him all over and grunted loudly into her hair. "_Good girl_."

They shook together for an endless minute before she began to slump in his arms. He was quick to follow and extending one arm he leaned back so he could lay them down. Deeg was sprawled over his chest as she panted and he was taking in his own gasping breaths. Tickling his fingers down her spine he tried to get his heart rate under control. That had been beyond good. He didn't even have a word to describe what had just happened between them.

"What was that?" Her voice was soft and terribly confused. He also heard a certain amount of anxiety creeping into it.

He moved his hand up to her head and stroked her hair tenderly. "We made love." She was silent so he continued knowing the answer to the question he was about to ask. "You've never done that before have you?" There was a significant difference between sex and what they had just shared. He wasn't sure the girl knew what would happen if this started between them.

The kid shook her head into his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head. After a moment she slid her arms over his chest and pushed up so she could look down at him. Deeg was searching his eyes for answers and he let her while he tucked her hair behind her ear and straightened the collar of his shirt around her neck. He found himself smiling at her and traced the small line that had formed between her eyebrows as she stared at him. "You don't need to think so hard, Darlin'."

"What should I be doing then?"

His lip twitched. "You could kiss me." Deeg let out a soft laugh as she lowered her lips to his. Holding her face as she explored his mouth he sighed contentedly. Finally pulling apart he cuddled her closer. "I love you."

Deeg dropped her eyes. Brushing her hand over his jaw she looked back up at him. "Wyatt, it's going to take me a while to say-"

"I know." He leaned into her hand. "That's not going to stop me from saying it."

Her eyes flickered sadly. "I don't want to upset you."

"You're not." He kissed her swiftly. "When you say it I'll know you mean it."

Deeg smiled softly. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Understanding."

"To be fair you decided to understand me first."

"That is true." He saw mischief dancing in her eyes. "I'm kinda awesome aren't I?"

He huffed up at her in amusement. "Very… awesome."

That sent her into a fit of giggles. "You can't say that anymore!"

"Why?"

She continued to laugh. "It doesn't work! No more Otherside slang for you!" The girl was delighted with his apparent failure.

Reaching down he tickled the back of her knee in retribution. The girl squealed and began to thrash. "No! Bad tin man!" Chuckling he kept up his assault as he rolled them over. After a few minutes of torture he let off his attack. Her eyes twinkled like crazy even as she poked him with a faked sniff of annoyance. Then her stomach growled and a full-blown belly laugh erupted from him.

Deeg grumbled as she squirmed under him. "Wigglin' around isn't goin' to make you any less hungry."

"Thank you for that."

"You're welcome." She shot him a look. Grinning he kissed her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "You know what tends to help?"

"Don't say it-"

"Food." Rolling her eyes she was about to reply when her stomach growled again and his own eyes twinkled. "I'll make you some you know."

"Some is very general."

Continuing to chuckle he tickled her neck with his nose. "We can figure somethin' more particular out when we get there."

Author Note: That was fun! I'm in the writing groove today! How'd I do?


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: It isn't mine. Nope, not at all.

Deeg was propped up against one end of the couch with her bare legs stretched out across the rest of it and her sketchpad in her hands. After he had made them lunch, which was a challenge with her dressed in only his shirt, they had wandered back to the room. He had settled her onto the furniture and handed her the sketchpad she seemed to prefer. She had pouted at him prettily and he had grinned as he reached over her and opened it to a blank page. "Not goin' to work."

"What's not going to work?" He could tell she was trying to figure out what he was talking about rather shrewdly.

Giving her a smug smirk he tapped the paper. "Meditate."

Pulling her leg up absently she stared at him. "Alright but you better deliver on the carving thing tomorrow. I'm pulling all the weight in the art department here."

His eyes followed the line her leg made for a moment before returning to her face. Deeg had her head tilted slightly as her eyes glittered. "If this downpour ever stops."

"Deal." Reaching past him she picked up her pencil and started to draw. He waited to move until he was sure she was focused. For the next two hours he picked up his book and tried to focus on the last few chapters. Considering he wasn't following the story line all that well he was sure he'd have to reread the whole thing when she wasn't sitting across from him dressed the way she was. He used to be focused. The kid had ruined him. Giving up he decided to start on his plan.

Stepping out of the room he headed to the kitchen again. Gathering what he needed he retraced his steps. When he got back Deeg was drawing with such intensity he thought the palace could have fallen down around them and she wouldn't notice. When they got back to the city there was no way she could do this alone. Anyone could sneak up on her without her knowing.

Setting his now full pack down inside the bedroom he stepped to the small hearth against the far wall and placed a few logs in it as he lit it. The rain hadn't let up in the slightest and the temperature had dropped dramatically. Considering all the girl was wearing was a thin summer shirt he thought she might appreciate the gesture. Once that was done he made the bed making sure the pillows were fluffed up again. They had crushed a few of them flat.

His eyes moved past the doorway to his girl. He'd bet his last year's pay she had never been pampered before. With the way she balked at taking a break he was sure he would win that bet. That was something that he was going to change as soon as she was finished with what she was doing. Judging by the amount of time she usually spent drawing he figured he had about ten minutes left before she snapped out of her daze. Setting a few things out across the room had him feeling pretty confident about this idea.

Moving to the bathroom he turned the taps and waited for the water to get hot. Once it was steaming slightly he plugged the bottom and let the tub fill as he returned to his pack. Digging out the candles he had found he set them around the small bathroom and lit them with a small stick from the fire. Blowing the smoldering wood out he flipped off the electric lights and headed to Deeg.

He had been off on his time estimate or she had been faster than usual. The kid was already off the couch and heading toward the bedroom. She must have heard him moving around. Her eyes met his before sliding to the darkened room behind him. "Whatcha doing?"

Catching her around the waist as she got to him he kissed her deeply. Deeg moaned and her arms snaked around his neck to hold him closer. Less than three hours without touching her and he felt edgy. It seemed like Deeg felt the same way he did. Breaking the kiss he bent down and hooked his arm under her knees. Lifting her up had her tightening her arms as he balanced her. When she wasn't struggling to get down she was easy to carry.

Taking her into the bathroom had her going still in his arms. The girl looked around the room in bafflement. "Wyatt?"

Setting her carefully on her feet he kissed her forehead and began to unbutton the shirt she had commandeered from him. "Hmmm?"

The girl fidgeted slightly as he worked on the shirt. "This is really sweet but you didn't need to do it."

Finished with the buttons he brushed the fabric off her and wrapped his hands around her waist. Lifting her easily he set her in the hot water. "Sit on down, Darlin'."

Deeg sank into the hot water as he stripped down and he heard a soft, grateful sigh come out of her when his back was turned. Suppressing a smile he got in after her and settled her against his chest as he relaxed against the porcelain. The kid got comfortable and laid her head against his shoulder. "This is nice."

It was he was glad she thought so too. With a soft kiss to her temple he reached into the water and scooped some water up in his hands. "Lean your head back."

Her blue eyes came up to his but once again she complied. Amazed by her sudden venture into not arguing he kept his mouth shut and began to wet her hair. Deeg made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a coo when he began to massage her scalp gently to get it completely soaked. Amazed by how responsive she was to such little stimulus confirmed his theory. Reaching over the side of the tub he picked up some shampoo she had placed in here the day before and put a good amount in her hair. The faint scent of apple blossoms filled his nose and he began tot work it into her curls.

Deeg was practically radiating contentment as his fingers danced over her scalp. Taking his time he coated every strand and went over her head again before he began to rinse the shampoo away. The kid was pressing up into his fingers, waiting for his touch as he finished. He was reluctant to stop with the way she was silently asking him to continue but he couldn't leave the shampoo in her hair much longer. When the last of the suds trickled off her shoulder he wrapped his arm around the front of her shoulders and eased her back.

The kid hummed and stretched giving him a wonderful view of her body under the clear water. Without hesitating he grabbed a washcloth and lathered it up with his soap. Her head turned to watch his hands and by the time he ran it over the top of her arm she was following his silent direction without prompting. Running the cloth over her skin had her sighing again and he was overjoyed that this was going so well. They had been playing tug-of-war for so long that this was completely unexpected.

Choosing not to pay too much attention to any part of her he finished her back and turned her around. While he could have turned this into a much more erotic encounter that wasn't his intention tonight. He wanted to establish intimacy. He had already been inside her twice today, and while he would be more than happy to find himself making love to her again, he could wait. All he wanted right now was to tighten their bond, especially when this was such an emotionally unstable time for her.

He was finishing her bent leg when she took the washcloth from him and lathered it up again. His eyes hooded as she pressed the cloth against his skin. He hadn't been expecting her to reciprocate but she was always full of surprises. To further throw him she kissed his jaw as she washed his neck. His hands found her waist under the warm water and he ran his thumbs in slow circles over her skin.

Deeg wasn't in a hurry and had picked up on his mood. The girl patiently finished what he had started and when she was done set the cloth on the side of the tub. Picking up the shampoo she squeezed some over his head and laughed quietly when he crossed his eyes to try to see how much she had put on him. Repositioning herself she sat up straighter and began to scratch the liquid into his hair. He jerked slightly when she hit a sensitive spot. The light scratching of her nails had his skin crawling in the best way.

The kid grinned at his reaction and finished what she was doing. Kissing his cheek she sat back. "You've gotten us all soapy."

"Me?"

She splashed him. "Yes, you!"

"Then I had better wash us off then."

"Wha-"

Wrapping his hands around her he pulled her close as he cut her off. "Hold your breath."

Her eyes flashed in surprised understanding before snapping closed as he dunked them under the water. Brushing his hand through his hair quickly to get rid of the shampoo he popped them up and out of the water. Deeg spluttered as she tossed her hair out of her face. "That wasn't cool."

Inching forward with a grin he kissed her tenderly and stood them up. The water was cooling off and he wanted to get them dry. " But now we're washed off." Grabbing a towel he bundled her in it before wrapping a second one around his waist.

Deeg held the towel around herself. "Wyatt, please don't do that again."

The girl wasn't angry but he could tell that had bothered her. "I was only teasin'."

"I know." Going up on her toes she kissed his cheek. "And usually that would thrill me to pieces but I'm not very comfortable in the water."

His eyebrow quirked up. "Why?"

The kid sighed in apparent frustration. "I'm not very good at swimming."

That explained why she kept insisting the lake water was too cold. Then a memory hit him and he frowned. "You swam to the shore after we jumped off that cliff."

"No, I flailed enough to keep my head above water until Glitch grabbed me and helped me stay up. You were busy trying to keep Raw in your sights and make it to shore with a couple of holes in your-" He glared and her lip twitched. "-upper thigh."

"Why didn't you learn to swim?"

Deeg shrugged. "My parents tried to teach me at our local pool but it got closed down because the town couldn't afford to maintain it. I can stay up for a few minutes but that's it. There wasn't anywhere else to learn where I was. We didn't even have a pond within twenty miles and there weren't any lakes at all."

He cupped her cheek. "You could have told me that."

"It didn't seem to be of vital importance."

"Unless you fell of the dock and drowned on me."

"Oh." How someone who couldn't swim wouldn't think about drowning was a mystery to him. "That would send it into the vital importance category."

"I can teach you to swim. You're a fast learner it won't take you long."

"Really?" Her eyes glittered with excitement.

With a chuckle he scooped her up. "All you had to do was ask."

"Hey, Wyatt?"

"Yes, Deeg." He set her on the bed before heading to the hearth to put a few more logs on the fire. It was starting to die and they needed to brew her some more tea. Setting the kettle on a hook at the top of the fireplace he let it begin to warm as he went back to his girl.

"Will you teach me to swim?"

He huffed in amusement as he slid behind her. "Once it stops raining."

"Ok." That had made her happy.

Positioning her between his legs had her tilting her head up at him as he reached to the small table next to the bed and picked up her hairbrush. Gathering the wet strands together in one hand he held them so he wouldn't hurt her as he began to brush out the bottom. "I do love your hair." Sure he wouldn't pull it he let go of the middle and ran the brush over her scalp. "The color changes with the light."

"If you don't stop I'm going to get used to this."

"Nothin' wrong with that." He set the brush down and she sat against him. Catching her hand he raised it and kissed her knuckles. Deeg turned and crooked her legs up over his. She snuggled her head under his chin and let him wrap her up as they sat there. "Are you happy, Darlin'?"

"Very."

That was what he wanted. Now all he had to do was find out what made her nightmares so bad and- Electricity shot between their bodies and images flashed through his mind so fast he could barely register what was happening. He caught sight of Azkadilla leaning menacingly down toward him. His vision shook badly as a dark brick room swayed and tilted around him. A bright green tank, much like the one housing Glitch's brain, flickered. Then Zero was there, standing and smirking in a corner. Another shift and he saw shackles encircling a familiar slim wrist. One last blurry flash of an injured viewer ripped across his sight as a scream echoed in his ears. "Lylo!"

His entire body jolted at the assault and Deeg twisted quickly. Her arms snapped out and she steadied him as best she could. "Wyatt!" He blinked rapidly as he regained his balance and she caught his face. "Wyatt, look at me!"

Catching her wrists quickly he tore them away from his skin and pulled them up to his eyes. It was dark in the room with only the firelight but he didn't see any marks on her. His eyes went to her face and she was watching him worriedly. "What happened? Are you ok?"

The kid had no idea what he had seen. He was breathing heavily and trying desperately to calm down before he started yelling. Unconsciously his hands were tightening and relaxing around her as he stared at her. Her towel was barely hanging onto her as her wet hair hung in waves around her shoulders. Blue eyes were as big as he'd ever seen them and a wave of guilt and fear hit him hard. "She _tortured_ you?" Despite his efforts his voice snapped across her.

There was a moment where they stared at one another completely still and silent before comprehension dawned. Then she shut herself down. He hadn't seen her cut herself off like this before and it scared him. Deeg may have evaded a subject or shrugged a question off but she had never turned into a statue before. Grabbing her shoulders he shook her slightly. "Kid, don't do that."

"Did it hurt again?" She wasn't acknowledging his concern over her or what she knew he had seen. She wasn't shaking out of this state either.

"It was the same." He was watching her carefully. Reaching out he caressed her cheek. She turned her face away. "Sweetheart, don't hide away. It only makes it worse."

"I don't want to talk about this."

"Ok." Slowly he put his arms around her and tugged her toward him. Deeg slid stiffly across the blankets but she wasn't struggling. "We don't have to." Kissing her gently he laid them down on the blankets. Covering her he began to trail kisses down her neck in an effort to sooth her. Her hands went to his upper arms as he touched her. Encouraged that she was responding he peeled away the towel that was clinging precariously to her.

In an instant her movements went from detached to desperate. Her hands tore at the fabric around his waist and shoved it away as she lifted her legs and wrapped them tightly around his hips. Deeg grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his face to hers in a frantic kiss. Knowing she was reacting to the memories of fear and pain he didn't try to slow her down. Not, this time. The girl needed an escape and after a year of nightmares and knowing what she was feeling he wasn't about to deny her that. This wasn't like the night in the tent. He knew in the morning she wasn't going to run on him. This wouldn't change what they were to each other.

When they broke apart he shoved himself up on his elbows and rocked his hips into hers. "Tell me what you need right now."

"Make love to me." He met her quiet entreaty with a deep kiss.

"Couldn't do anything else with you." Shifting he reached down to position himself and slid into her. Deeg clutched at his sides and tightened her legs. Her movements forced him even deeper inside of her and she let out a whimper. Unable to get any further inside of her he groaned. Deeg panted and quivered around him. Her hands tightened and he began to whisper endearments to her as he started to move.

His girl met his thrusts without fail and both of them were approaching the edge at breakneck speed. Within minutes she was letting out sharp cries of excitement. Struggling to hang on he shoved his arm out and grabbed the top of the headboard in an effort to gain more leverage. Grunting with effort he plunged into her harder. Deeg screamed and plastered herself against him in a rush. Unable to wait any longer he let go and shook with the force of his release.

As he slumped down next to her she turned her head and began to kiss the side of his face with amazing gentleness. Crooking his arm he held her to him as he fought with this new information. The girl had been having nightmares about an experience she shouldn't have had to go through. This was his fault. He had let her get captured when he had promised to keep her safe. She had been _tortured_ because of him. Closing his eyes he felt his jaw clenching as fury over his own incompetence hit him. He had been so focused on hurting Zero in any way he could he had practically thrown the girl to him.

The girls voice was quiet but firm. "Stop it, Wyatt." Unable to tell what she was talking about he opened his eyes. Deeg caught his face with both her hands. "This is why I didn't tell you."

"What?"

"It wasn't your fault. There was no way you could stop six trained guards and the witch by yourself. She had me the second we were cornered in that room. It could have been worse."

He forgot about her insistence of keeping this a closed subject. "It could have been worse than you being strapped down and tortured?"

Her eyes darkened with remembered fear. "At least she kept the guards off me."

"Damn it." He dragged her flush against him. Her eyes told him that part of the story. They had tried and the god damned witch had kept her safer than he had. He stroked her hair. He didn't know what else he could possibly do. He couldn't make this better. "Deeg-"

"It wasn't your fault!" She shoved him off of her. Her eyes were flashing angrily. "I'm fine!"

"Fine? You can't sleep without wakin' up in a cold sweat!" His voice was rising. This wasn't what he had in mind for the night.

Deeg began to shout. "Jesus Christ, Cain! You're human! You can't protect me from everything! I'm the one that led us in there to begin with!"

"It's my job to keep you safe!"

Grabbing a pillow she flung it at his face. "Suddenly I'm a job?" He ripped it away in time to see her yanking the towel around her. He'd never seen anyone escape so fast. He was getting out of the bed when she stormed toward the door. "Was fucking me a perk?"

"That's not what I meant!"

She whirled around. "Really? Then what did you mean?"

He let out a growl of frustration. "I can't change my nature!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm protective! You were my responsibility and I let you down!"

"Are you insane?" The kid gazed at him with exasperation. Walking back to him she stood between his legs and grabbed his shoulders. "You came after me in the witch's stronghold. There must have been a thousand soldiers there and I was the most heavily guarded prisoner. In what crazy world did you let me down?"

"You shouldn't have had to go through that!"

"And Lavender and Ahamo should have been watching me when I was six, the witch shouldn't have gotten out, Az shouldn't have been possessed, Glitch should have kept his brain, Raw should be with his tribe, the queen should have been free with her consort, you should have been with your family, and my parents should remember me!" She shook him as her eyes watered. "You said some things were out of our control! You said it was the witch! You said that! If you don't believe that how can you expect me to?"

"Deeg-"

"How?"

A tear fell down her cheek and he brushed it away. "I do believe that."

"Then why can't you believe me when I'm telling you it wasn't your fault?"

Unable to find fault with her logic he reluctantly nodded in acceptance. "I believe you."

Deeg nodded and crawled into his lap. "Then can we stop fighting?"

He nodded. "Yes." Kissing her he set her beside him. "Let me get you your tea so you can sleep. I'm pretty sure you told me you were tired before we even ate lunch."

The water he had set over the fire had boiled off a bit but there was enough to fill her mug. He handed it to her as he turned the blankets down and he saw her magic flash as she cooled it off. She threw her head back and downed the drink as quickly as she could before setting the cup next to her hairbrush on the table. Slipping under his arm she got comfortable. Twinning their fingers together she curled his arm more firmly around her. He shifted her so close to him she could barely move. He was struggling with himself over this despite what he had said. As if she could read his mind she squeezed his hand. "It's ok, Wyatt."

The tea was taking affect quickly and she drifted off before she could say anything else. It took him a lot longer to fall asleep.

Author Note: Tired… leave me one.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer:

It had taken him hours to fall asleep. The only thing that had kept him in the bed at all was the girl curled against him. If she hadn't been there he would have been pacing around the palace like a caged animal. But Deeg was trusting him to wake her up if the tea stopped working. That, and having her against him was keeping him as close to calm as he was likely to get. Her even breathing and the steady thumping of her heart eventually lulled him enough to sleep.

"Wyatt." He came awake with a soft grunt. The kid twisted around in his arms and pressed the top of her head under his jaw. "You're all twitchy."

He rubbed her side. "Sorry."

Deeg patted his chest. "S'ok. Was kinda awake anyway."

"How can you be kinda awake?" He was already more alert than Deeg was and he couldn't figure that one out.

"Drifting." He figured that was as much of an answer as he could hope for. "Did you sleep?"

"This question from you?"

Her small hand came up and ran behind his ear affectionately. "Wasn't an answer, Tin Man."

"I slept."

"Enough?" Her lips touched his skin.

The girl was trying to make _him_ feel better about what had happened to _her_. That was absurd. Forcefully shoving his own feelings away he focused on making her feel as safe and normal as possible. "Enough." He stroked her hair. "Did you?"

"Uhuh." She stretched lazily out along his body. "Feel better."

"Restin' does that."

"I don't know. Could be all the orgasms."

He blinked before a short bark of laughter escaped him. Only Deeg could get him to laugh with so many other emotions fighting for dominance. "Kid, you are-"

"Hungry." She finished for him.

"Hungry." He sighed. "You're not very subtle are you?"

"No point with you. Just makes you grumbly."

"You're vocabulary astounds me."

"Don't judge me before breakfast."

"If you get up we can eat." Deeg mumbled something to herself before tangling their legs together. His lip twitched. "That's the opposite of what I said."

"Comfy."

"Hopeless."

Deeg giggled, and grabbing the sheet sat up. "Do you want pancakes?"

He smiled slightly and wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her from skipping away now that she had an idea in her head. "Do I have a choice?"

"I wouldn't have asked if you didn't have a choice. I would have gone ahead and made them." She gazed down at him inquisitively. "I could never tell if you liked pancakes. I can make those fruity things you like instead."

She was talking about the baked papay fruit he made. He hadn't had the fruit in so long he may have made the dish more than was strictly necessary. Even before he had been trapped the Fields had been dead. He had always loved the cooked fruit drizzled in honey. It was a family recipe that he had been eating for as long as he could remember. He'd made it the fist opportunity he could with Deeg watching him curiously. She seemed to enjoy it. All right, he may have gotten carried away in the month they had stayed in the orchard.

He turned his head on the pillow. "You know how to make it?"

"You cooked it at least three times a week for a month. I am capable of learning through observation."

"Pancakes are fine. Bit sweet for me with the honey is all."

"I didn't have any syrup but it wouldn't make it any less sweet."

"Syrup? Like you get out of trees?" Sometimes he had to be sure they were talking about the same thing. They had more than one communication error since they met. The oddest one being over chickens in the first month she had been here. He still wasn't sure what had sent her into such a fit of hysterics and all asking had done was cause her to stop breathing and fall off the couch she had been on. He had glared in annoyance as Jeb looked at her as if she had lost her mind. To make the entire incident even more bizarre Ahamo had walked in and asked him what was the matter with her. When he had answered the consort had chortled and wondered away. It must be an Otherside joke he wasn't understanding.

"Yeah, that's what you're supposed to put on them but we had honey." Then her eyes lit up. "Is there syrup in the pantry?"

"I think so."

Deeg bounced slightly before bending down and kissing him giddily. "Cool!" Then she was in front of the dresser and digging out clothes. He shook his head and sat up as he rolled his neck. The girl was already up and running as if nothing had happened the night before. He was sure she was avoiding the subject to keep him from losing his temper again. That may have been considerate but it wasn't going to help her deal with the issue. He didn't want to start anything this early in the morning so he let her have her way for now.

He glanced out the window as he stepped up next to her. It was still raining but not heavily. He figured the storm would pass in less than an hour and then he could take her out swimming. Picking out a pair of pants he stepped into them. "Rain'll stop soon."

Her head swiveled around as she straightened her short-sleeved blouse. Deeg did dress quicker than any woman he had ever met. "In that case…" Holding her hands flat out over the top of the dresser she closed her eyes and concentrated as she started to glow. There was a bright flash that left spots in his eyes. He blinked rapidly and found a forest green leather case sitting below her hands. She cracked one eye open and smiled proudly at her creation. "There."

Tilting his head he reached for the beautifully made bag as she slid it toward him. Running his hands over it for a moment he reached for the buckle holding it closed. Lifting the flap he paused and simply stared at what she had made him. He had rarely seen craftsmanship like this and he knew what to look for. There were two-dozen different tools here, all of them with identical deep red wood handles. Lifting a straight wedge out of the kit he held it up and noticed that the thin band of silver metal wrapped around the bottom of the base kept it perfectly balanced in his hand.

"Deeg, these are amazing."

"They'll work then?"

"I'd be surprised if they couldn't carve by themselves." Placing the wedge back in the case he shut it with care and lifted it up to inspect it more closely. The girl had made it in his favorite color and he was almost sure the metal buckle was made of tin. A soft smile stole over his face. "Thank you."

Pressing up on her toes she kissed his cheek. "You're welcome." Spinning around she walked to the bathroom, snatching her hairbrush on the way. She shut the door and he finished dressing. The girl didn't seem to realize exactly how nice a gift she had given him. Then again maybe she did and was trying to downplay it. She had told him she knew what carving tools were. The kid hadn't held back at all and she had made the kit specifically for him. He was touched by how thoughtful she had been.

A few minutes later and she emerged with her hair in simple ponytail. "Have you seen my shoes?"

"Under the bed."

"Why are they there?" She fell to her knees and began to dig around under the bed.

"That's where I put them." A slipper came at him and he dodged it without much effort as he made his way past her to the bathroom. "You should wear those. They'll be easier to take off when we go swimming."

He heard Deeg muttering as she started crawling under the bed. "Could you at least put them under the edge?"

"Then I wouldn't have such a nice view." The other slipper came at him but it wasn't even close. He suspected the angle she was at affected her accuracy.

"If you wanted to see me in this position all you had to do was say so." That made him pause in the threshold of the bathroom. Deeg was sitting up with his boots in her hands. Setting them out in the open she lifted her head. She must have seen the heat in his eyes because she smiled seductively. "I told you I learn through observation."

He wasn't taking the bait. She was trying to get information out of him. "What exactly did you learn?"

Standing up lithely she walked forward and he kept his eyes firmly on her face. The girl stopped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck as she leaned into him. He met her eyes and raised an eyebrow. He was trying to throw her off the trail but he had the feeling he had been found out when she pressed against him and crooked her leg up over his hip. Reaching down he caught it and held her to him as he ran his thumb along her outer thigh. Deeg smiled and kissed him below the ear. "Do you have a thing for legs, Tin Man?"

A thing? He did enjoy looking at hers. He also enjoyed touching them. And thinking about them. "Don't know what you're referrin' to."

"Really?" Arching her back had her leg sliding up higher and he tightened his hold. "I think you're lying to me." There was a pause as she bent her head and kissed the skin peeking out of his collar. "Then again-" The kid stepped away from him without warning and sauntered out the door. "-maybe I'm wrong."

He nearly groaned at the sight of her walking away. Her eyes flashed to him briefly and he saw a secret smile forming on her lips before she turned into the hall. "I'll be in the kitchen when you're done fantasizing."

Ok, the kid had won that. He wasn't even going to pretend she hadn't. Retreating to the bathroom for a few minutes he followed her to the kitchen after grabbing a few towels and found her flipping the first of the pastries onto a plate. There was a small glass bottle on the table, a bowl of cut fruit, and a stack of dishes. He set the table before stepping up behind her. Putting his hands on her hips he watched her pour batter into the hot skillet. "This is plain strange cookin'."

"You say strange I say delicious." He chuckled and bent down to kiss her neck swiftly. "Are you sure you don't want something else?"

"I'm sure. They're good plain."

"Ok." She flipped the next batch with a swift flick of her wrist. Swaying slightly she hummed a tune he had never heard before while the food cooked. A minute later and she threw them on top the first batch and turned off the stove. "Done."

By the time they were finished eating, and Deeg had consumed enough sugar to power a toddler for a month, the rain had petered out. "Are you ready to get acquainted with the lake."

"Yup!" Taking his hand she led him out of the lower kitchen and up the narrow staircase. When they walked outside the suns were fighting to break from behind the clouds that were rapidly blowing away.

"This might be a bit cold, Deeg."

"I thought that was what I said the last time you brought me out here."

He shook his head and tugged her to the left. There was a sandy strip a few yards away. Much better than fighting through the reeds. Getting to the sand he dropped the towels on the edge of the grass and kicked off his boots. Deeg stepped out of her own shoes and started stripping out of her clothes. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he took everything but his pants off. The girl was wearing another small corset, which he could only assume was normal on her side of the rainbow, and matching black panties.

He shook his head and took a step into the water. It wasn't as icy as it could have been but it was chilly. Deeg was a few feet behind him and let out a squeak as her foot hit the water. Chuckling he reached behind him and grabbed her. "Can't back out now."

"There was no backing! I simply need time to adjust!"

"You'll adjust once we're wet."

"You mean all the way?" They were starting to get deeper and she was trying to make herself taller to keep as much of her skin out of the water as possible.

He rolled his eyes and twisting picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. "I'm goin' to make this easier on you."

Deeg pushed herself up. "Oh, no! No! No!"

He patted her thigh. "It'll be over faster this way."

"No! Wyatt, it's really cold!"

The water was up to his chest and he stopped. "Ready?"

"Don't drop me!" He had no intention of frightening her in the water. Deeg wasn't comfortable in this environment and he wasn't going to make that discomfort morph into fear. Flipping her over he set her in the water, which was up to her shoulders, feet first. She shrieked at the cold and clung to his shoulders. After a moment she loosened her grip as her body adjusted to the shift in temperature.

"Better?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, ready to start?" She nodded and he moved them farther out into the water slowly. "We're goin' to go deeper. All you have to do is hang onto me. I won't let you go under." He wanted to be clear about what they were doing. If she had any objections or became uncomfortable he wanted to know. "Tell me if I go too fast." She nodded again and he moved out until she couldn't touch the sandy bottom.

Her arms tightened around his neck to keep herself up but there was no fear in her about what was happening. The kid was looking down through the clear water at their feet. A fish swam by and she moved her head over his shoulder to get another look before it swam off. "Was that thing purple?"

"Yes."

"Huh." Her head returned to its original position. "Nothing in here is going to try to eat me is it?"

That had him grinning. "No, Sweetheart. Only thing near here that might try that is a wildcat or bear."

"No sharks, killer mermaids, or lake beasties?"

"What's a mermaid?" He had heard of sharks. Never seen one but he'd heard stories and read books about them. He had never heard of anything called a mermaid.

"They have human tops and fish bottoms. They live in the water."

His eyebrow quirked up in surprise. "You have those on the Otherside?"

"No."

His forehead furrowed. "I'm confused."

"They're children stories like magic and flying monkeys. I thought they might be real here."

"None of those, sorry, Deeg."

"I'm not terribly upset by this information. They always freaked me out. I hated The Little Mermaid." He have her a questioning look. "The story."

"Ahh." Taking hold of her hands he held them while he spoke. "Floating comes first. This should be easy for you since you can at least keep your head above water but it'll be the part where you need to trust me the most."

"Ok. What do I do?"

"I'm goin' to turn you around and hold your shoulders while you do this. Don't panic if you get water in your eyes or mouth. I won't let you sink but it'll take your body a few minutes to work out what it's supposed to do." She agreed and he spun her slowly. Holding her sides he bent his knees a bit to stay on level with where he wanted her. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

Flipping her onto her back he held her up until as her legs flailed. "Stop kickin'." He saw her struggling to do what he said and in a few moments she was only twitching slightly. "Ok, use your arms to balance." He loosened his grip and she floated for about ten seconds before she started to sink. Grabbing her he slung her up when she began to splutter. "Whoa."

Deeg wiped the water off her face and laughed. "That was a spectacular failure."

"No, that was good."

"It was?" Her eyes were shinning in amusement. "I'd hate to know who you taught before."

"Jeb."

"Was he better than me?"

"Well-"

She rolled her eyes. "Nevermind. I don't want to know I've been outclassed by a five year old Jeb."

His lip twitched. "Let's try again then." Letting go of his shoulders she spun herself around and waited. With a smile he flipped her over again and watched her get her bearings. After a second everything clicked for her. As she floated in front of him he slowly lowered his hands and watched her. A few minutes later and she open her eyes. He lifted his hands out of the water and showed them to her. Immediately she sank and with a laugh he grabbed her and held her up in the water. "Ready to swim?"

"I get to move now?"

He smiled and let her float. "This time you kick your legs. Slowly, one at a time." Deeg followed his instructions and began to swim backwards. Pushing his feet into the sandy bottom he managed to keep ahead of her as she went. She was doing very well until a small wave lapped into her side and threw off her balance. Deeg went down and he grabbed her and pulled her to his chest.

Her legs went around his waist and she threw her hands in the air. "I did it!" He laughed at her enthusiasm and began to move them into shallower water. "This is fun!" He let her go when she could stand without going under.

Catching her hand he lifted it over her head and spun her in a circle toward the shore. "I think we should combine the things I'm teachin' you."

Deeg grinned as he started dancing with her in waist high water. "Water ballet. Perfect. Exactly what I thought I would be learning."

"I knew those lessons Tutor were givin' you weren't challingin' enough." The girl never stopped smiling as he caught her hips and they twirled around. "Ready?"

"For what?"

"Dip." Putting his hand on her back he did just that and she bent back over his arm. He pulled her up and her eyes stayed fixed on the sky.

"Oh, _wow_." He looked up in the same direction and saw the rainbow before movement caught his attention. Two sky dancers were whirling and diving far above them in an intricate display. The light filtering through the rainbow painted their white feathers to amazing effect. They flashed with color as they flew, never staying one hue for more than a few moments. Suddenly the two plunged in a deep arc and spun around each other. After falling dangerously close to the treetops they broke off and repeated the pattern as they flew into the air again. Their spiral tightened until it was hard to tell one from the other. Then, as quickly as it started, the two broke off and glided toward the forest wingtip to wingtip. When they vanished Deeg broke the silence with a wonder filled whisper. "They really do dance."

"They really do." Holding her against him he spun them in another circle. Her eyes came to his and they were telling him she understood what he was saying as they swayed in the water. Her arms went around his neck and she pressed her face into his shoulder.

"Good luck then?"

He brushed his hand over her hair. "So they say, Darlin."

Deeg loosened her grip on him. "I'm getting cold. Can we go inside for a while?"

Bending down he kissed her gently. "For as long as you want."

Turning she twined their fingers and started toward their things on the shore. When they got there they gathered their clothes and shoes and walked up the small hill that led to the palace. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and held her against his side as they went. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to let her go long enough to come back outside today.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: So sorry to tell myself and all of you that Tin Man is not my property.

He shut the door to their bedroom as Deeg walked into the room in front of him. "Are you still cold? Do you want me to start a fire?"

The girl dropped the towel that had been wrapped around her and shot him a provocative look over her shoulder. His eyes focused on her completely as he picked up on her mood. "No." She reached behind her back and unhooked her corset as she walked away from him. "I thought you would keep me warm." The fabric fell from her shoulders and she deliberately extended her arm out and dropped it to the ground. His body was reacting just the sight of her. Deeg was teasing him mercilessly. Then she threw him for a loop.

Reaching the couch she stopped next to it and bent over the armrest. Lifting her backside she turned her head and watched him as she waited. His eyes raked over the curve of her hips and all the way down her legs. She had picked this position to show off what he liked to look at. With a low growl of approval he stalked toward her. Her eyes fell to half-mast at his predatory movements and he saw her begin to spread her legs unconsciously.

When he was behind her he put one of his hands on the bottom of her spine and slowly ran it up to her neck. Deeg shuddered at the firm touch and he held her neck gently as he moved her so she was facing forward. Leaning over her back he pressed his hips into legs and pinned her to the furniture as he whispered into her ear. "You're not the only one that can learn from observation, Deeg." Her breathing was already shallow as he spoke. "How much control are you goin' to give me?" He had told her he had no intention of testing her boundaries and he had meant it. He needed to know how far she wanted him to go with this role.

Her hands clutched at the cushion she was balancing on. "What?"

He squeezed one of her cheeks firmly and her hips jerked. That was all the answer he needed to know he had found her weakness. "That's interestin'." He kissed her shoulder as he kept a grip on her neck and she waited with batted breath. "I wouldn't have thought you'd want me to take charge with the way you fight me all the time outside the bedroom."

Her eyes darted back to him. He saw confusion in them and he tilted his head as he watched her. Slowly his eyebrow rose and she began to squirm. Pushing her down slightly he gave her a quiet, firm order. "Don't move."

Deeg froze and he kissed her shoulder again. The kid didn't know what she was subconsciously asking him for. If she didn't know giving up control got her hot she was far less experienced than he had thought she was. If she'd had a lover for any length of time she would have worked this out even if she wouldn't ask for what she wanted. That was why she hadn't answered his question. She didn't know how much control to give him because the only time she had ever given up control was yesterday when he had teased her. No wonder she had come so hard and so fast in his lap.

Considering all this he decided to give her a taste of what she wanted. She knew he would stop if she asked. Letting go of her neck he straightened up and ran his hands slowly up and down her sides. He waited for his tender caresses to make her impatient. When she began to raise her top half to get him to touch more of her he took hold of her neck and pushed her head all the way into the cushion before she could blink. "What did I say?"

Her arms were on either side of her and he saw her fingers twitch as she processed what was happening. After a long moment where he was sure she was considering if she should let this continue she answered. "Not to move."

She had decided to accept this new experience. This should be satisfying for her. "Don't move again unless I say. Do you understand, DG?"

She twitched at the return to her given name. "Yes."

He rumbled his approval. "Good." Moving his hand from her neck he rubbed his way to her hips and took hold of her panties. Stripping them from her he kissed his way down her legs slowly and saw her fighting to stay still as he touched her. When he reached her ankles he ran his thumb over her skin. "Lift your foot." She did what he said and he kissed his way back up when he had gotten rid of the strip of fabric.

Letting his hands fall from her for a moment he got rid of his own clothes and pressed against her again. Deeg was trembling and he put one hand on her lower back and twisted the other one between her legs. She let out a small mewl at the first touch and he could feel how wet she already was. Flicking her lazily had her crying out in frustration but he didn't speed up. When she shoved her hips back into his he smacked her thigh. Deeg sucked in a surprised breath and jolted forward. Moving his hand from her clit he put it back on her exposed neck in less than a second as the grip he had on her waist tightened.

"You aren't listenin', DG." Her entire body was vibrating under his hands. "What did I say?"

She panted. "Not to move."

"What did you do?"

"I moved."

"Are you goin' to move again?"

"No."

At her answer he smacked her again, just hard enough to shock her. "Unless?"

Deeg clenched her hands. "Unless you say."

Rewarding her for the right answer he stroked the red mark on her pale skin. "That's right." His hand snaked down to her clit and he started to touch her again. She whined but kept herself still as he stroked her. He kept her on edge for at least ten minutes with his light touches until she was a quivering mess. Finally, when she began to verbally beg, he took pity on her and pumped his finger into her as he pressed her clit with his thumb. Deeg cried out in relief and clamped hard around his fingers as he stimulated her. She was so wound up he was afraid she was going to pass out from the force of her orgasm.

When she finally went limp he wrapped his hand around her middle and lifted her up. Turning her around he picked her up and set them down on the couch. Holding her in his lap he stroked her hair as her arms went up around his neck. She was pliant in his arms and flushed the most beautiful shade of pink all the way down her body. Holding her face he kissed her tenderly. That was as far as he was going to go with her in that particular area until they had a talk. He wasn't about to scare her and he thought she might need some time to figure out what had happened and why she had reacted the way she had.

Deeg began to return his kisses a moment later as she began to recover. Nibbling her skin he questioned her. "Was that good for you, Sweetheart?"

"Yes." Still breathless she tilted her head up so he could have better access to her neck. "So good, Wyatt."

Chuckling at her honesty he held her close as his own need began to escape his control. Deeg met his eyes as he found her lips again and sighed happily. "Your turn." Pushing on his shoulders she hooked her leg around his hip. "On your back, Tin Man."

Twisting, he let her push him flat onto the sofa and laid over him. He explored her skin with his hands as Deeg began to kiss her way along his jaw. Straddling his hips she reached down and stroked him several times and he groaned. "Deeg, you do that anymore and it's goin' to be over."

Kissing his cheek she asked him a question that had him groaning again. "Do you want me to sink over you or see how you taste?"

"Ozma, Kid."

She ran her hand over him again. "I need an answer, Wyatt, or-" She squeezed him. "-you won't get either."

Gripping her hips he lifted her over him and she smirked. Holding him steady she took him in slowly, drawing it out for as long as she could. When she finally settled flat over him he held her still as he regained control. Deeg put her hands on either side of his chest to balance herself and kissed him deeply. Slowly loosening his hands had her beginning to rock over him. Groaning faintly he used his hands and hips to guide her into an unhurried rhythm.

The girl allowed him to set the pace and began to kiss her way along his jaw. While her lips pressed tenderly over his face he moved his hands to her bottom and squeezed gently. Her hips rose off him slightly as she pushed into his hands. Kneading her firmly had her sighing and he turned his head and caught her lips. Deeg swiveled her hips and he bit her lower lip gently. She pulled away and stared down at him as she continued to move. Watching her he raised his hands to her face and held it still as he kissed her.

Her body began to tighten and she lost her tempo. Deeg started panting and he raised his hips a little harder as she took him in. She let out a little mewl and a shudder ran down her body. Kissing her below her ear he whispered. "Are you close, Sweetheart?"

Pushing herself into a sitting position she put her hands on his chest for balance and started thrusting her hips faster. Unable to take much more of this sweet torture he reached between her legs and stroked her. Deeg let out a cry and jerked erratically before she came. Holding her thighs he pulled her flat over him and let go with a gasping groan.

Crumpling forward she managed to catch herself with one of her hands before she toppled. Sinking the last few inches to his chest she made herself comfortable over him. Deeg tucked her head beneath his chin and he reached up to stroke her hair as he caught his breath. "Anytime you want me to get you warm let me know."

She laughed softly and tickled her fingers down his ribs. Grumbling he batted her hand away which only made her bat him back. "I can't tickle you if keep running interference."

"That was the basic point."

"Kill joy."

"No need to start name callin'." The girl poked him. "And no jabbin'!" She giggled and he turned them over carefully on the narrow sofa. Grabbing her wrists he stretched them over her head and held them in one of his while he propped himself up on the other. Deeg squirmed and glanced up at him from under her lashes. Tilting his head he watched her as she pulled lightly at his firm grip. It wasn't that she was trying to get away; she wanted to know how serious he was about keeping her pinned. "Darlin', if we're goin' to playin' those types of games we need a word other than stop."

"What are you talking about?"

Stroking the side of her arm as he hovered over her he clicked his tongue. "It makes you feel good to loose control, at least some of the time. If you're wantin' me to take over you might yell stop and not mean it. We need to find a more unusual word for you to say if you need me to back off."

Her cheeks flushed a sentence into the explanation. Her eyes were sparking with discomfort and uncertainty. "Oh."

"You don't need to be embarrassed." He kissed her gently. "Havin' you squirmin' and beggin' under me is sexy as hell." His lips moved to her ear. "But I need to know when a good ache turns to somethin' else."

Deeg shuddered. "Wyatt, I've never done anything like this before."

"I know. That's why I need to know when it's too much for you." His lips followed her collarbone. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"Ok." She shifted under him a bit nervously and he let go of her wrists. "What… what should I say?"

He hummed as he thought about that. "How about 'break'?"

"Like when you're stopping a car?"

"Exactly." He looked at her face. "Can you remember that?"

"Yeah."

"Good girl." Relaxing over her he nuzzled her cheek with his nose.

Her fingers traced a scar on his rib as she went quiet. Knowing she was thinking he let the silence settle over them comfortably while she gathered her thoughts. "Am I weird?"

He would love to know how her mind worked. She came up with the most random questions. "You're a bit odd." She turned her head and gazed at him anxiously. He frowned before clarifying the statement. "You have an unusual quality to you. Either the magic or you growin' up on the Otherside."

"No, I mean…" She fidgeted. "I'm used to taking control. I don't understand-"

He patted her side. "Nothin' weird about that. You've been workin' and takin' care of yourself since you were little, before you should have started. You never had a break before." He tapped her head lightly. "Feels good to stop thinkin' about what you need to do every once in a while. That's why you like it. You just get to feel good not think about how to make yourself feel good."

The girl turned that over in her head. "Do you like to loose control?"

"No." His answer was immediate and sharp. Deeg flinched and he told himself firmly to settle down. "Too long in the suit, Sweetheart."

"Sorry, that was a stupid thing to ask." She ran her hand over his cheek apologetically.

"No, there's no reason you shouldn't have asked." He cuddled her closer. "If you want to try somethin' let me know but I might say no. I don't like bein' held down."

"Ok." She continued to stroke his hair. "What do you like?"

The kid didn't back down even if she were uncomfortable talking about this. "Hearin' you scream my name." He nipped her neck. "That does it for me."

"And looking at my legs."

He chuckled and kissed the place he had bitten. "That too." She rolled her eyes and began to rub his neck. "You're other parts aren't bad either."

She chuffed out a laugh. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_, Darlin'."

Her laughter increased. "Goof." Her fingers stroked down his shoulders and she frowned slightly. "Geez, Tin Man." Digging her finger into his shoulder blade had him grunting in pain. "You have some serious knots in your back."

"It's fine, Darlin'. Stop diggin' at me."

She kissed his forehead. "Let me up and I'll fix you."

His eyes shot to hers at the use of the word 'fix'. She was gazing at his back critically and didn't notice. "I don't think so."

Her eyes came to his. The kid was confused. "What? Why? It'll feel better."

He cupped her cheek. "You have a fixation on fixin'. One you don't seem to like. So no thank you. I'm fine."

Deeg gazed at him with startled eyes. "I like fixing things. It's the result I don't usually like. But you said you wouldn't throw me away."

"I won't."

"I believe you." Deeg leaned in a few inches and pressed her lips to his affectionately. "Which is why I'm laying under you naked. So let me fix it. I want to make you feel better." Analyzing her he saw the sincerity in her eyes and levered himself up so she could get out from under him. She tapped his hip and turned to the bedroom. "The couch isn't big enough." Holding her hand out for him she tugged him up. "Bed."

Following her he laid down on his stomach and turned his head toward her. The kid had suddenly vanished from his side. "Deeg?"

"I thought you said you were patient." She walked in from the bathroom with a bottle in her hand. Crawling onto the bed she straddled his hips.

"What's that?"

"Lotion."

"Do I have dry skin?"

The girl poked his side gently. "No, but you'll like the smell."

He grumbled. "I don't want to smell like flowers."

"Too manly to pull off that scent?"

"Kid." He sighed tiredly.

"It's sandalwood." The bottle dropped next to him and he heard her rubbing her hands together. "Raw gave it to me a couple months ago. I forgot it when we went to the Fields but it was in my pack when we got here." Then her warm hands were on the base of his spine and began to rub him delicately. He groaned as her fingers seemed to find a sore spot the second she started. "Good?"

"Well, I'm not goin' to make you stop anytime soon." His eyes drifted closed and her hands explored his back slowly. The scent off the lotion was actually fairly nice. Breathing deeply he felt all the tension he had left in him draining away.

"How'd you let it get this bad?" She was working her way up efficiently.

"It's not that bad." He rolled his shoulder under her fingers to get her a little to the right.

She was quiet for a moment. "Standing still that long made you get used to hurting didn't it?"

He twitched. He had hoped she hadn't thought about that. He sure didn't like to. "Yes."

"Do you hurt anywhere else?" Her voice was calm as she questioned him.

"I stopped hurtin' when we were travelin', Sweetheart. My back gets in knots when I have too much on my mind. Always been that way. It builds up."

Finding a knot she rubbed it out smoothly with her thumbs. "You carry stress in your back?"

"Seems to be right." Ozma this felt like heaven even if her line of questioning was making him a tad uncomfortable.

"But you hurt other places before? When you were trapped?"

His eye cracked open so he could see her. She was watching him with interested eyes. He sighed before answering her. "All over."

"When exactly did it stop hurting?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

"I need you to remember." The kid had stopped her massage. She bent down over him so their faces were close together. "Did it stop up on that hill, Wyatt? Or before that?"

He thought about that. Turning the memories over in his head for several minutes he nodded to himself. "It must have been on the hill. I don't remember hurting at all after that other than my shoulder where I got shot but I was sore that morning when we were gatherin' together."

Her eyes darkened briefly before she shoved the emotions away. "I think I know what I did."

Author Note: I work so hard for you people. Just give me a little something back. Please? (Big brown puppy eyes. Imagine them!)


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Tin Man is in no way my property.

Twisting he looped his arm around her and dragged her to the mattress next to him. "You don't seem to be that pleased about workin' that out."

"I can't take the spell off." Deeg was desperately trying to hide what she was feeling.

"You couldn't take it off before. What's the problem?"

"No, Wyatt." Sitting up she lost the fight of keeping her anxiety away and began to run her hand through her hair in agitation. "I mean I _can't _take it off."

"Why?"

Deeg sighed and gazed into his eyes nervously. "You said it stung when the magic affected you? Like electricity?" He nodded. "It wasn't like electricity. It was built up pain." He frowned and waited for her to continue. When she did he could tell she was terribly uncomfortable. "Wyatt, the suit, it had a spell on it to keep you alive without food or water. It was supposed to torment you. It was part of the magic. It… I think the spell seeped into you because you were in there too long. That's why I can't remove the one I put on you. I told my light to keep you safe no matter what. It's trying to neutralize the spell from the suit but I don't think it can get rid of it completely. The pain you were feeling before was suppressed when my magic transferred to you. If I take the spell off the pain will come back."

He stared at her for a second not sure what he was feeling. "And the shocks?"

She licked her lips. "Somehow the spell is still connected to me and the rest of my magic. It's taking some of mine to maintain the spell. When you siphoned my magic away to use it for other things the spell, the dark one, took over while my light gave you what you wanted. It hurt because that's what the dark spell was designed to do. It felt like a shock because the soreness you would feel continually built up and snapped over you fast and hard before the protection spell kicked back in again. It hit every nerve ending in your body like real electricity would. It's how you interpreted the pain."

"How am I using your magic to get things?"

"You said you wanted to get me the flower and I can only assume you wanted to know why I was having nightmares. Did you want those things or did you feel like you needed them to stay safe? I told you the spell wasn't specific. It could interpret things in a way I never would have told it to."

"Why would I need a flower to…" He trailed off. Had he needed a flower? No, but he needed Deeg. She had been moving into his room at the time and he felt he needed her to be content to stay with him. Hadn't the visions of what had happened to her been the same? He needed to know what was wrong to fix it and she wouldn't tell him. He had been afraid she would leave. That had made him feel anything but stable. It had frightened him, and badly. He had already lost one woman he loved and it had nearly killed him. If he lost her he wasn't sure what he would do. Keeping her made him feel safe.

Sweet Ozma. The spell wasn't just keeping him physically safe. It was keeping him emotionally safe. She had said she had asked it to keep him with Jeb, but had that been her exact thought process or had she thought something more along the lines of keeping him with his family? At the time she couldn't have known she already was family to him but the magic had picked up on it. She had bound herself to him as tightly as she had the spell. "It wasn't them I needed to be safe."

"Then I might be wrong about-"

Pulling her back down he kissed her. "You aren't wrong." He didn't want to continue because he didn't want her to feel trapped. Her blue eyes looked up at him and he brushed her hair out of her eyes. "The spell works the way you said."

"Wyatt, if I take it off it'll hurt you again." Something he couldn't identify was racing over her eyes. "I don't want you to hurt but I don't know how to stop it any other way. I can't take it off."

He kissed her tenderly. "I told you before it didn't bother me that your spell was on me. A few seconds of pain is a far cry better than constant agony. Why are you so edgy?"

Her hand came up and stroked his cheek affectionately as something flickered in her eyes. "I'm not."

Gazing down at her quietly he saw the lie. Locking his eyes on hers he held her face still. "Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying." Deeg caught his hand. "I'm not edgy."

"Deeg."

"Wyatt." Her lips twitched and she arched up to kiss his jaw. He jerked his head away from her. The kid leaned back in surprise as her eyes filled with hurt.

"Deeg, you're still lying. Distracting me isn't goin' to keep me from getting' mad and if you can't be honest with me this isn't goin' to work."

The girl looked at him for a long moment before starting to twist out from under him. "Fine. I never wanted to come here to begin with."

He snapped at her as he dragged her back. "Runnin' isn't goin' to work either!"

The kid went on the defensive faster than he could blink. "Get off me!"

"Tell me what's wrong and I'll do whatever you want." His eyes were flashing angrily but he kept his voice calm.

"Nothing is wrong! The spell stops you from hurting!"

"What else is it doin', Deeg?"

"Damn it, Cain! Let it go!"

Knowing he hadn't been wrong he held her closer. The girl was holding something back. "You know me better than that. Tell me."

The kid was breathing heavily. "I took the pain away."

"You said that."

Her eyes flashed in frustration. "I _took_ it. It's mine now."

Freezing he stared down at her. "What?" He shook her in agitation. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You don't hurt and I don't sleep. That was the trade off."

His response to that information was immediate. "Take it off."

"No." Her jaw was set stubbornly and he nearly started yelling.

"Right now." It was an order and he had meant it to come out that way.

"No." Her voice softened and she put her hand on his face. "I won't let you hurt anymore. Ten years was too much."

"I'm not goin' to let you torture yourself!"

"You're not letting me do anything. This is my choice. I'm not taking it off, Wyatt. I'll think of something."

"You'll think of something? You've had a year to think of something!" He was starting to panic. He was supposed to keep her safe and all he'd done was make everything worse.

The kid was desperately trying to sooth him. "I didn't know what was the matter. Now I do. Besides, with the tea I can sleep. Calm down."

"I'm not about to calm down! I'm-"

"What?" She looked at him with her big blue eyes. "What are you about to do? Yell? Rant? Leave?" She brushed her thumb over his temple with more tenderness than he had ever experienced. "It doesn't matter what you do. It won't make me change my mind. Do what you need to." Kissing his cheek she let him go and began to get off the bed.

Holding her he pressed his cheek against hers and growled in frustration. "Why are you doin' this, DG?"

"For the same reason you would." Deeg began to curl up around him. Her leg wrapped over his and her hands went around him until they found the nape of his neck. The kid started to rub him again and he lowered his head to her shoulder while he tried to work out how to get her to take off the spell. Her breathing hitched for half a moment. "Because I love you."

His entire body tightened at the soft declaration. Lifting his head he gazed down at her with gentle eyes. "Deeg."

She smiled up at him. "Didn't take me that long to say after all."

Brushing her hair through his fingers he shook his head. "What am I goin' to do with you?"

"Trust me. I'll figure this out. I always figure out something."

Leaning down he kissed her nose. "Those somethings of yours tend to involve us jumping off cliffs, nearly getting' eaten, bein' lost in mazes, or stayin' up most of the night with Glitch's brain."

"Yeah, but those things all worked out." Her eyes twinkled. "And usually with much better results than I expect. After all when I opened that tin box a crazy wild man fell out on me. Look at you now. All spruced up and nearly sane."

Rolling his eyes tickled her ribs. "Nearly?"

"Don't even try to fool yourself. A normal man would never be able to deal with me."

Chuckling he laid his head on her shoulder again. "That's true."

Deeg laughed and relaxed under him. "So don't worry so much. I'll have to fix your back all over again." Smiling he kissed her neck. For the moment he would take her advise. The tea was helping. For now she could sleep, and even if she couldn't work out what was wrong surely Tutor or the queen could. That thought had most of the tension draining from him.

A few minutes later and he realized peace had settled over him, really settled, for the first time in as long as he could remember. Jeb was safe in Central City, he wasn't worried that the country was going to crumble around them, there were no more resistance cells to answer to, no more fear that his family would get swept away in a storm, no more nightmares, no more pain, no more murderous obsessions, his grief over the losses he had suffered had mostly faded away, he at least knew why his girl wasn't sleeping, and Deeg was wrapped around him as her sure fingers made him feel wonderfully taken care of. His arm came up to cradle her side and she kissed his hair. His mind stopped whirling a mile a minute and slowed to a drifting crawl as she touched him.

Slowly her massage turned to a gentle caress. He nuzzled her warm skin as her fingers brushed through his hair. Deeg never stopped her tranquil movements as she spoke. "You surprise me sometimes."

"How's that?"

"I never would have thought you'd like to hold me so much." She scratched his scalp lightly and he rumbled. "You're usually more standoffish."

"We weren't courtin' before. Getting closer to you than I was would have been inappropriate. I was already toein' the line. You may not have noticed but I was gettin' looks about it from more than one person." Laying his head back down he rubbed her side with his thumb. "I like to touch you." It made him feel human. Touch was still a novelty to him. Even if it wasn't he doubted he would ever tire of it. He'd been too long without the feeling of warmth or closeness. "We fit."

He sensed her smile and went still over her. They lay like that for a long time. Her hand stroking him tenderly as he used her as a pillow as the suns shown through the window on them. Slowly his body began to react to her again and he kissed her neck softly in question. Deeg arched slightly and ran her hands down to his chest. The quiet moment had him wanting to make this soft and slow. Taking his time he touched her all over and she sighed and squirmed under his hands. They didn't talk as they touched, simply felt each other out. Deeg gasped when he kissed her wrist and he groaned when she found a soft spot over his hip.

In a tangle of warm skin and searching lips he slid into her. The girl stifled a gasp at the intrusion and he rubbed her side as he made himself comfortable between her thighs. Sliding his arm under her shoulders he pulled her flat against him as he kissed her. She clenched around him and he groaned in response to her silent demand. Moving gently he began to drive her gradually toward her release. Deeg finally broke the silence as his name tumbled quietly from her lips. Leaning down he pressed his lips to hers briefly. "Say it again."

Arms wrapping around his shoulders tightly she complied. "Wyatt."

Picking up speed minutely he sucked on her neck. "Again."

She moaned and jerked in his arms. "_Wyatt._"

Growling he thrust into her as pleasure stared to build to nearly unbearable levels. "Again, Sweetheart."

Deeg lifted her hips and let out a long moan as she came in a warm wave around him. "_Wyatt!_" Kissing her face rapidly he rocked into her several more times as she arched before letting himself go. Gasping he held her as close against him as he could while his own orgasm rocked through his body. Slowly going slack he started to bump his nose along her neck.

She wiggled and laughed below him as he tickled her neck. "Love you."

"Love you too, Goofball."

Grinning he shifted and laid down beside her again. "First I'm grumpy and now I'm goofy. Make up your mind."

"I'm a woman. I don't have to make up my mind." Chuffing out a laugh he spooned her up against him. Deeg turned her head so she could see him. Her lips were quirked up at the corners and he gave her a quick peck. "Who was giving you looks?"

Smiling he stroked her arms. "Glitch, Raw, Jeb, your parents, Azkadilla, about three quarters of the soldiers stationed in the palace, the stable hands, the advisors, visitin' dignitaries, nobles-" She put one of her small hands on his mouth.

"I get it." She turned in his arms. "How was I the last one to know about this?"

"Maybe you weren't lookin' for it."

Deeg fell into her thoughts and that unnatural darkness that sometimes took over began to seep into her features. "Maybe."

Catching her face he stroked her cheek. "I don't like it when you do that."

The kid blinked and the shadows faded away. "Do what?"

"Go away like that. I don't know where you keep lettin' your mind go but it isn't anyplace good." Tracing her jaw he tried to keep her talking. "Do you want to tell me?"

She fidgeted slightly. "It's just Otherside stuff. I don't think you'd be all that interested to hear it."

"Otherside stuff or history stuff?"

The girl shifted again. "Same difference."

"Darlin'-" He kissed her gently. "-there is nothin' you could possible tell me that would make me think of you any differently."

The girl avoided his eyes. "There were reasons I wasn't looking for anything."

Coaxing her calmly he ran one of his hands over her shoulders. "Which were?"

Deeg was clearly uncomfortable. "Do you really want to know this? Aren't there unspoken rules about this or something?"

His eyebrows came together. "Rules? What rules?"

"Talking about past relationships? Doesn't this make you uncomfortable?"

He thought about that for a moment. "Yes and no. Does talkin' about Adora bother you?"

"In some ways." She definitely wasn't looking at him now. "But not most of the time."

"And the other times?" Deeg shrugged and remained silent. "Sweetheart?"

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this."

"Sharrin' is part of this. I want to know you. I want to be close. We can't do that unless we talk."

"Alright." She was hesitating rather badly. When she spoke he could barely hear her and everything he could hear was coated in shame. "Sometimes I feel like a poor substitute. I'm not your wife. I'm just some crazy slipper that happened to stumble over you too late to help you find her in time. Sometimes I think you never would have looked at me twice if I hadn't let you out." The kid had curled up as she spoke as if he were going to hit her.

Grabbing her face he pulled it up so he could look into her eyes. "You are not a substitute."

"I know, but you asked how-"

"Adora and I had a life together for a long time. You aren't Adora. You're different in a lot of ways. I loved her. And I love you." Deeg watched him silently as he tried to think of the best way to explain this. "It's different. I'm different. I changed in the suit. When I was with Adora I was whole to begin with. When you found me you had to put the pieces back together. Thing is not all the pieces are the same anymore. The old pieces suddenly didn't fit right so you made new ones that would put me together again. Pieces that somehow you knew would make me happy. Pieces that would help me sleep at night. Some of them might be tarnished but you don't seem to care. That's why I looked at you. Not because you let me out, because you kept me out."

Deeg nodded and spoke quietly. "When I was seventeen the farm was doing well enough for my parents to hire help." The kid paused for a second. "The man they hired seemed nice. A year later and he told me he loved me. That he wanted to marry me. I thought I loved him too. He gave me a ring." Her eyes dulled. "We went to the closest big city one night. He said he wanted to elope and I had never wanted a big wedding. We got in late and stayed in a hotel." Her shoulders hunched and he figured he didn't need details about exactly what had happened. He had a pretty clear idea of what had gone on. "When I woke up the next day I was alone. I thought he went to get us breakfast or something. When he didn't come back I realized what he had done and took a bus home. I never told anyone what happened and my parents thought he had found a better job and taken off since harvest was over. I felt so stupid. Then I spent months agonizing over what I had done wrong because I didn't know. Then I felt stupid all over again for thinking it was my fault. I don't know what I was thinking."

That explained a lot. No wonder she had been so frightened of what he was offering. The last time someone had promised her love and a future they had left. Then she had found out her parents were programmed to it. Deeg hadn't deserved that. She hadn't deserved to be tricked or hurt for no other reason than someone wanted what was between her legs and nothing else. Deeg was worth so much more than that. He wasn't sure she felt that way all the time. "You were thinking you loved him."

"I should have known better."

"You can't help the things you feel."

"No, but I can control my impulses."

Kissing her forehead he rumbled. "I don't mind those impulses."

The kid's lip twitched briefly. "Liar. I drive you crazy."

Growling he pulled her under him again. "In all the right ways."

Deeg gazed up at him questioningly. "You're not angry with me?"

"Why would I be angry with you?" He was angry but not with her. If he ever encountered that farmhand he'd be dead before he could blink.

"Seems like you should be."

"I'm not angry with you for being you. It's not your fault someone you trusted hurt you. You give with everything you have. There's no shame in that." He stroked his hand over her forehead and into her hair. "I told you I wouldn't think of you any differently and now you siphoned off some of the toxin in your system. Do you feel any better?"

"I'm not sure. I feel exposed."

He considered that as he held her. "I suppose that's normal. I feel that way around you most of the time."

"And you're still here?"

His lip twitched and he bent his head to kiss her neck. "Where else would I want to be?"

Author Note: Thoughts? Comments? Snuggles? Dramatic cries of horror? I love them all!


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: Not mine!

Deeg pushed him out the door and into the suns. "You promised!"

Rolling his eyes he turned to stare at her standing in the doorway with her legs crossed oddly below her and another one of his shirts billowing appealingly around her thighs. "Deeg-"

Holding out her hand she pointed toward the woods as her eyebrow arched. "What? What was that? Something about going to find art supplies?" He sighed and she smiled. "That's what I thought. Off you go."

"Alright, alright!" Turning he tugged his hat over his head more firmly. "Where are you goin'?"

"Kitchen. You said I needed to eat more. Are sandwiches good enough? I don't feel like cooking."

"That's fine."

"Ok. Have fun." Then she was gone and he was left to go do what he had promised her days ago. Trying to figure out how he had been thrown out of the palace he shook his head and decided it wasn't worth the effort. The girl had looked at him with her big blue eyes and suddenly he was dressed and out the door. He really was hopeless. At least he knew what he was looking for. He had come up with a nice project for himself, although it probably wasn't as simple as anything he should be starting with. He'd have to be careful and do this right.

Hitting the edge of the woods he scanned the area with his eyes and spotted the type of tree he was searching for. Walking to the base he began to search around patiently. After several pieces of wood that were either rotting or had an unacceptable texture he found a branch that would work. Holding it he stood up and started on the hard part. The other piece of her gift would be harder to find. The lake might be big but he wasn't sure how common the type of shell he wanted was here and he wanted to get at least two in case he made a mistake. He had rarely worked with anything but wood before.

At the edge of the lake he scanned the shore carefully as he moved slowly to the east. The water tended to move in that direction and he figured he had a better chance of finding shells on this side. Sure enough a hundred yards past his starting point he found a small grouping of the shells. Crouching down he picked up the first of the clamshells and held it up to the light. Smiling at the color he pocketed it along with four of its buddies.

Finished he headed to Finaqua and his girl. He was pleased with what he had found and rather excited over the prospect of working with his hands again. It had been so long since he'd done anything creative that he had forgotten what the anticipation of creating something felt like.

Five minutes later and he found Deeg peering down into a pot and sniffing it questioningly. "What are you doin'?"

"I found this canned soup in the cupboard but I have no idea what it is." She eyed it critically. "It smells good though. Did you find anything?"

"I did." Stepping next to her he glanced down and sniffed. "It's rorry stew. You should like this. It has a kick to it."

"It's spicy? Cool." She waved at the counter behind her. "The one on the left is yours. No tomatoes. I still don't understand how you like them on pizza but not sandwiches."

"Don't know." He wrapped his arm around her waist and set his chin on the crown of her head. Her own arms covered his and she leaned into his chest with a happy sigh. Humming at the easy contact that had developed between them he brushed his fingers over her sides. He hadn't been this happy in a long time. The only thing that was missing was Jeb. Bending his head he kissed her cheek with a small smile.

Twisting Deeg wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You know you were only gone for like twenty minutes."

Chuckling he caught her lips. "Too long."

Kissing him back she poked his sides teasingly and he let out a grunt of surprise. Catching her hands he held them over her head and she giggled. "I'm hungry. We can play later."

Hearing her say she was hungry was such a switch from a few weeks ago that he couldn't help but grin. "Let's eat then. You're fattenin' up nicely."

She blinked then puffed up. "What!" Deeg shook his hands off. "I am not fat!" Endlessly amused he caught her waist and spun them around. Plopping her on the counter he held her as she fussed at him. "You are so mean!"

"How horrible that I can't see your ribs pokin' out anymore."

"They were not poking out!" She glanced down at her body. "Were they?" Now she seemed slightly concerned.

Sighing he kissed her cheek and ran a hand down her side. "I wasn't just worried about you to be worried." The girl began to fidget and he realized he had accidentally scared her. "Relax, it wasn't so bad that I was goin' to start force feeding you. I just wanted you to be healthy."

"Oh."

Kissing her he rubbed her neck gently as he pulled her closer to him. "Smile for me, Sweetheart." Deeg looked back up at him and gave him a small smile. "Better. You don't need to worry so much. That's what I'm here for."

Deeg let out a laugh and he tickled her collarbone with his nose. "Wyatt!"

"Hmmm?"

"That tickles!" Chuckling he wrapped her up tighter and continued to rub her skin. She wriggled and grabbed his shoulders. "Bad!" Her legs wrapped around him and her hands darted down to his sides. When she retaliated he moved his head away and reached for the bottom of the shirt she was wearing. Running his hands up her thighs had her letting out a low whimper as her legs spread.

"Thought you were hungry."

"You started this not me." Her hips moved forward to force his hand up farther.

"True." Reaching her center he rubbed her curls slowly and the girl let out a shuddering breath. "Lay back for me, Darlin'."

Her eyes found his and she did what he said. Reaching out he helped her lay over the island and ran his hand over her cotton covered body. Pushing the fabric up her thighs he tugged her closer as she grasped at him. Understanding he reached down and unhooked his pants. Deeg squeezed his hips with her legs and spoke. "Need you now."

"I need you too, Deeg." Freeing himself he slid her to the edge of the counter and slipped inside her velvet heat. The girl arched and her hands brushed his stomach.

"Tin Man." She sighed and tightened around him. "You feel so good."

Turned on by her voice he thrust into her. "Tell me."

Her eyes shot to his before she threw her head back. "No one's ever made me feel so good." His hands tightened around her hips. "Just thinking about you makes me wet." Ozma. The girl wasn't holding back was she? Did she ever when they were together like this? His groan told her how much he liked that. "You weren't wrong when you said we fit."

"Deeg."

"Are you going to make me scream again? You always do. You always touch me just right."

"How do you want me to touch you, Darlin'?" This was the hottest thing the kid had ever done. She had thrown her inhibitions out the window for him.

She whimpered as their bodies molded together. "A little bit harder, Tin Man. You don't need to be so gentle all the time. I won't break." Growling he thrust into her hard enough to jolt her. She cried out as she bent into him. "Like that! So good, Wyatt!"

Leaning over her he curled his body and moved against her roughly. Deeg screamed excitedly and wrapped herself around him. Shoving his arm under her he pulled her neck up and bit the base of it. The girl cried out louder than before and he yanked her up into a sitting position. "Is this what you need?"

"Yes! Hard!"

Hand moving to her backside he slid her to the very edge of the island and held her up as he bounced her. She let out the loudest shout yet and her whole body clamped around him. Clenching his teeth to hang on he set her down and thrust shallowly into her as she came. Dragging out her pleasure had Deeg whimpering into his neck. When a final gasp fell from her lips he stilled inside her and kissed her temple. Panting she ran her hand into the hair over the base of his skull. "Why didn't you-"

He rocked into her gently and she mewled. "Wanted to see you fall apart again." He pressed his face into her hair. "Wanted to look into your eyes while you came for me."

Deeg caught his face and held it away from her hair at his words. She locked eyes with him and he kissed her quickly before beginning his slow thrusts. Her breathing began to hitch but she never let go of his face. Running his hands over her back and around her shoulders he pulled her flush against him. Deeg began to let out the soft whimpers that indicated she was getting close and kissed her again.

"Wyatt!"

"Sweetheart." He panted out. "Come."

Three thrusts later and Deeg tightened as he watched her eyes glaze over. Then she moaned low in her throat and he let go with a shout. The girl pulsed around him for a long minute before her body began to relax. He leaned into the counter for support as her arms hung over his shoulders. Tucking her head against the side of his neck she murmured her appreciation and affection into his ear.

Reaching up he stroked her hair. "Keep sweet talkin' me and we won't ever get out of the bedroom again."

She laughed breathlessly and kissed his jaw. "We aren't in the bedroom now."

"Huh, look at that." Her giggle was interrupted by her stomach protesting rather loudly that it still hadn't been filled. "We waited too long to feed you."

"I think I'll make it."

"Still." Pulling out of her he tucked himself back in his pants and straighten his clothes as Deeg pushed the shirt down her legs. "There is a sandwich about a foot to your left."

"So there is." The kid slipped off the counter and reached up to his chest. "Messed up your collar." Straightening it she pecked his cheek and grabbed the plates. As she set them on the table he ladled some soup into bowls before following her. Giving her one of the dishes he tilted his head at her as he sat down. She had already begun to chew as he sat, and at his stare she swallowed. "What?"

"Just enjoyin' you."

Blushing prettily she started eating much more shyly than before. He joined her and when they were done she gathered the few dishes they had and set them in the sink. When she came back he caught her hips and set her in his lap. Her arms went around his neck as he held her and she allowed him to cuddle her.

"When are you going to ask, Tin Man?"

"Ask what?"

"Ask me to go back to the city. You're ready to go."

He stroked her hair. "No, but I do want to talk to Raw and Tutor. I can't do that while we're here." Tucking her hair behind her ear he touched his nose to hers. "We need to figure out how to let you sleep again."

Deeg sighed. "Alright. You probably shouldn't stay away from Jeb much longer either." She ran her fingers through his hair. "You've been missing him."

Smiling he tightened his arms. "How can you tell?"

"You get this funny little smile on your face when you think about him. It's fretful and amused all at once. Like you know he's done something ridiculous and don't know what else you should be expecting."

He chuckled. That was pretty accurate. "I do miss my boy."

She traced his jaw. "I know. Do you want to go back tomorrow?"

Breathing her in he nodded. "If you're ready."

Deeg shrugged. "Wyatt, if it were up to me we wouldn't be going back." He searched her eyes and she patted his cheek. "But I need to fix Glitch and you need to go home."

"If you aren't happy-"

"I'm happy with you. The rest we can work out when I'm done." She searched his eyes. "Ok?"

"Ok." He searched her eyes. "But where do you want to go if you don't want to be in Central City?"

"I don't know." Deeg sighed. "There are worse places to be than the city and Jeb's there. I'm not going to ask you to leave him."

He shifted below her. "If you're not happy there-"

The kid smiled. "What did I just tell you? I'm happy with you. And you're happy with your son, which is how it should be. You don't need to pick between us and I would be an awful person if I asked you to. Besides, I like that you're such a good father."

Humming he kissed her. He was pleased to hear that. "Do you?"

"Yeah." She gazed at him. "It's oddly sexy."

He chuckled into her skin. "I find it fascinatin' the things you like about me."

"Why?"

Tracing her lip with his thumb he shrugged. "I don't know. Half the things you say I either don't understand or don't expect. You would think the surprise would have worn off by now."

"I don't think that's going to happen ever. I'm too random."

"You are that." Leaning away he watched her for a few moments. Jeb was an excellent segway into a subject he was curious about. "Do you want children?"

Deeg blinked at him. "What?"

Moving his hand down he rubbed her stomach gently as he repeated the question. "Do you want children?"

Deeg retreated slightly. "I don't know how to be a mother."

That hadn't been a no. In fact it sounded a hell of a lot like a yes. There had been too much want in her voice. He cupped her cheek. "No one knows how to be a parent until it happens. It's somethin' you learn."

She gave him a sad smile. "I don't think I'd be any good at it."

"Why not?"

She sighed. "I don't know what to do with a baby. I don't even know what to do with a kid. I never took care of one before. I can't even remember being one."

"You take care of Kalm."

"Raw's always there. He knows what he's doing."

"You're afraid of messing up?"

"Uh, yeah." She began tugging at the ends of her hair. "I'm totally screwed up. The last thing I want to do is screw up a child. Especially my own."

"What?" He laughed out the question. "You wouldn't screw anything up." But the kid seemed pretty sure she would. When he started laughing she lowered her head. "Deeg?"

She tried to scoot away. "Not funny."

"Hey." He held her tightly. "Don't be upset."

"Why does this matter?"

"Because I want to know. If you want to stay with me I want you to be happy. I want a family with you."

"You have Jeb. I didn't think you wanted more kids."

"Jeb's almost grown. He's been grown in some ways for a long time. I think I'd like another one. Nothing is quite as fun as havin' a little one runnin' around. Never had a girl either. That's a whole new adventure."

"You're serious." Her blue eyes were watching him.

"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't." Deeg was slowly relaxing into him as they spoke and he knew she was interested in this by the way her eyes were whirling.

"I still don't know what to do with a baby."

He felt a smile blooming on his lips. "That's somethin' I'd be more than happy to help you with."

"Nice try. I'm not having a baby until I'm married. I don't care how cute you are."

Chuckling he kissed her neck. "With the way we've been actin' you might."

Deeg blinked and patted his chest. "I hope you weren't banking on that. I'm pretty much baby proofed right now."

He raised an eyebrow. "Kid, you do know how they're made don't you?"

Her eyes twinkled. "Yeah, Wyatt. I know how babies happen." Then she went still all over. "I cast a spell on myself so I wouldn't get pregnant a while ago. It won't wear off unless I let it."

That was interesting. "A while?"

"About ten months ago. I found a spell in one of the books Tutor gave me and asked Az about it when I was still trying to talk to her. I guess most mages can cast them. I put one on myself."

He knew about those. Adora had actually had one placed on her for a time right after Jeb was born. She wanted to give him time to grow up a bit before getting another sibling. He had agreed, but even after the spell had run its course they hadn't gotten pregnant again. Then he had been trapped. "Why did you do that?" He titled his head. "You weren't courtin' anyone." His eyes narrowed slightly. Jealousy began to rise. "Were you?"

"No." Tilting his head he waited. Deeg sighed and shifted in his lap. "Don't freak out."

"Deeg." It came out as a growl.

"Things haven't exactly been stable in the realm." The girl looked away. "If anything happened…Getting captured by the witched scared me. I didn't want to run the risk of getting pregnant if something like that happened to me again. There was no guarantee someone would stop it."

His arms tightened. Understanding her reasoning didn't make him feel any better about it. "I'm sorry that scared you so much."

"Not your fault. Besides, it's one thing we don't have to worry about happening."

"Shame." He kissed her briefly. "I'll need to get you a ring when we get home."

The kid started in his arm. "A ring?"

"Mmhmm." Pulling her face down he kissed her thoroughly. "If you'll have me."

She leaned away and searched his eyes. "What are you saying?"

He chose his words carefully. "I'm sayin' I want to have a life with you." He stroked her hair. "I want to stay with you. I want to be able to keep you to myself. I want to make a family with you. I want to marry you so everyone knows we picked each other. Those are the things I want." He kissed her briefly. "What do you want?"

Her voice was soft. "I want that too." She lowered her head to his. "You really want to marry me?"

"Yes." He kissed her again. "I love you."

"I love you too." Smiling warmly he traced her jaw. "But so you know the baby thing makes me nervous."

"You have plenty of time to decided if you're ready for that. When you're wantin' to talk about it I'll be waitin' to listen."

"Ok." The girl laid her head on his shoulder. Shifting in the chair he held her in his arms and gazed out the window with his chin on her head. The kid made a small sound of contentment and he smiled. Deeg would be a wonderful mother if she decided on it. He wasn't worried about that in the slightest. The only thing he was worried about was explaining this to his son.

He had a feeling his boy saw this coming but this was still going to be a challenge. The last year he'd spent most of their time together talking about Jeb, which was what he wanted. The last thing he needed was his boy feeling guilty about him getting trapped. He had a sneaking suspicion Jeb thought it was his fault that he had never come looking for him. He was sure he felt guilty over what had happened to his mother. He had tried to walk him through that as best he could while dealing with his own feelings with Deeg.

He had enjoyed their time together. He loved hearing his son's stories. He particularly enjoyed watching him dance around Claire from the sidelines. He could see where that dance was headed even if his son couldn't. The two were too close to keep spinning away from each other. Eventually the spinning would turn into a collision. That was how it went. Then his boy would start a new part of his life. He hoped the sadness of his younger years would be the last of it. Jeb had filled his quota for loss by the time he was fifteen. His boy deserved to be happy.

"Wyatt?" Deeg cut into his thoughts and he looked down at her. "I'm going to go draw. I don't want to worry about it later."

"Alright, Sweetheart." He helped her to her feet. "I'll come with you."

She gazed down at him, and reaching out, ran a hand between his eyebrows. "What are you thinking about so hard?"

"Jeb."

Her lip twitched. "Relax, Tin Man, the general isn't about to behead you. Despite his tough reputation he has a soft spot for you."

Rolling his eyes he stood up. "Does he?"

"Yeah, he told me so."

Chuckling he spun her around and kissed her quickly before twirling her out again. "I'm a lucky man." Deeg laughed and his smile grew. He was starting on a new adventure as surely as his son was. And while it may not have been an adventure he was expecting he was positive it was going to be better than he ever could have hoped for. Deeg was everything he had never imagined he could find. Yet here she was, dancing down the hall with him, after telling him she wanted to be his wife. He really was the luckiest man in the O.Z.

Author Note: The end draws near. I can feel it in my typing fingers. That and Fred told me so. He is very firm for a plot bunny. Seriously. He needs to chilax.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: Tin Man is in no way my property but it is playing on tv right this moment. Awesome.

Deeg had finished drawing a few minutes after he had hidden the beginning of his new project away. He didn't want her seeing it until it was done, which was what he told her when she asked about it. She had pouted at him and he had smirked victoriously. Then, feigning disinterest she had walked into the bedroom. Her attitude intrigued him. Suddenly wanting to play, and see how she responded to said play before they left, he came up behind her silently as she passed the threshold to the bedroom. Catching her hips he leaned in he breathed a gruff order into her ear. "Take off your clothes, DG."

Her hand twitched. "Why should I? You won't even show me your carving."

Amused by her apparent interest in testing him he hid the emotion and swatted her behind. "Now!" The kid jerked forward and shot him a defiant glance over her shoulder. When she didn't move fast enough for his liking he advanced quickly and smacked her a little harder. "When I say move you move! No questions!" He circled around her before stopping behind her shoulder and let his voice drop to normal levels. "I'm waiting."

Lifting her slightly trembling hands to the top of his shirt she unbuttoned it slowly as he stood silently behind her. When she was done she paused and he growled. That snapped her out of her hesitation and she shrugged out of the garment. The shirt, the only thing she was wearing, fell to the floor between them. Reaching out he ran a finger down her spine and watched her muscles bunch. He ran his hand over the curve of her hip and considered her briefly. Making up his mind he rubbed small circles over her skin as he questioned her. "Is there a reason you aren't listenin'?"

"I am."

"No!" He snapped his hand over her bottom. "You're fightin' like you always do! It's not goin' to happen anymore!" Grabbing her upper arm as he dragged her to the bed. He didn't let her go until he sat down. "You aren't bein' very good, DG."

She stood staring at him nervously but he could smell how excited she already was from almost a foot away. Crooking his finger had her edging up to him. Reaching up quickly he caught the back of her neck so she couldn't get away. She gasped and he stroked the soft hair at the nape of her neck gently, in direct contrast to what he was saying. "Talkin' doesn't seem to work. Maybe I need to take a more practical approach with you."

"Practical?"

He hummed at her breathless question. "Lay over my knee." Deeg balked but he held her firmly and raised his eyebrow impatiently. The kid nodded and he let her go so she could do what he told her. When she started to lean over his lap he caught her. "Not like that." Turning her he positioned her so she was straddling one of his legs. Then he pushed her down so her chest was over the mattress and their sides were pressed tightly together. Deeg let out a small cry as she tried to catch her balance. However, in this position one of arms was forced under her while the other was pressed forward by his back. Her knees were bent awkwardly and most of her weight was over his thigh. Laying his arm over her spine to hold her in place he clamped his legs around the pale one between them and waited for her to relax against his side.

Unused to being trapped the girl struggled briefly in her prone position. Deeg tried to shoot forward but she couldn't gain any leverage. He was calm in the face of her alarm. He was the one in control not her. This is what the girl had wanted. "Stop strugglin'. You're not goin' anywhere until I say." The kid finally stopped and lay under his arm panting. "Are you done?"

"Yes." The girl was breathless with uncertainty.

He rubbed his free hand over her bare skin and felt her trembling. "For fightin' me I think ten is appropriate but you stalled too. Twenty seems fair."

"What?" She sucked in a sharp breath and he decided to draw this out for a few more seconds. Running his thumb is soft circles over her pale skin he let her squirm. "Wyatt?"

His hand snapped down over her left cheek and she jolted under him with a small yip. "No questions!" He waited to see if she would ask him to stop but she simply turned her head into the blankets as she clutched at them. Taking that as permission he hit her right side with the same amount of force. The girl whined and he felt her getting wet over his pant leg.

Between swats he squeezed her reddened skin gently in a slow rhythm. He wanted to make sure she had time to call a halt to this if she needed to. Deeg was crying out softly at every firm hit and her body had begun to buzz. Reaching twenty he stopped and ran his hand from the small of her back to the bottom of her thigh. Turning his head he watched her as he growled softly. "Are you goin' to behave now?"

Deeg was oddly demure as she lay still and submissive in his grasp. "Yes."

Reaching back he ran a hand over her hair affectionately. "Good girl. Get on the bed."

When he moved his arm the kid slid gingerly onto the mattress without hesitation and glanced up at him from under her lashes. He could see her pulling in quick breaths and lifted his hand. Using his finger to show her what he wanted he rumbled. "Turn over. Hands and knees, DG."

Her eyes widened as she did what he said and he felt his arousal spiking as she waited to see what he was going to do next. Deeg clutched at the blankets but didn't move out of position as he stared at the picture she was making waiting for him to come to her. Getting out of his own clothes he got on the bed behind her. On his knees he grabbed her hips and pulled them flush against his own. Deeg arched slightly as he reached under her to brush her clit. The girl whimpered softly but didn't move. Pleased with her compliance he pressed harder and brought her all the way to the edge before taking his hand away.

Letting out a loud cry her head fell forward. "Wyatt, please!"

Unable to control himself any longer he tapped her thigh with his fingers. "Spread your legs." Deeg did what he said and he held her as he thrust forward. She swayed slightly from the force but she was so wet he slid in with barely any resistance. The girl broke apart the moment he was inside her. Letting out a keening cry she tightened and bucked against him. Gripping her hard he held her in place as her arms gave out from under her.

Taking advantage of her prone body he slid them flat over the bed as he stayed snug within her. Deeg continued to pulse around him as he lay over her and he began to kiss her shoulder tenderly. The girl certainly reacted as strongly as he could have imagined to that. Letting the role slip away he murmured soothingly in her ear as she came back to him from her high. "You alright, Darlin'?"

Gasping she nodded into the blankets. "Need a second."

Proud of himself for making her come so hard he stayed still and explored her neck and shoulders with his lips. After a minute Deeg turned her head and he stretched so he could kiss her lips. She responded with amazing eagerness and he rumbled happily. "Ready for me now?"

"Umhmm."

Kissing her once more he propped himself up on his elbows and eased out of her warmth before thrusting in again. The girl began to let out soft sounds of appreciation as he moved and he began to thrust a bit harder. Deeg cried out at the increased pressure and he nipped at the base of neck as he thrust forward. "Wyatt!" Her hips rose to meet his as she called out. "Don't stop!"

Grunting he closed his eyes and moved with her. Clenching his teeth he growled into her hair. "Are you mine, Deeg?"

She began to writhe below him. "Only yours, Tin Man."

That was more than he expected from her and he kissed her neck again. "And I'm yours, Sweetheart. Just for you."

She moaned as he thrust into her harder. "Wyatt." Their bodies were sliding slickly together as he fought to form coherent thought. "Love you so much." Groaning at her words moaned out so honestly he tucked his head against the crook of her neck. That had nearly made him explode.

"Gods, I love you too." Curling his body he pressed into her as hard as he could. Closing in on his limit he rasped out a plea. "Come for me, Sweetheart. I can't keep this up much longer. You feel too good."

Deeg whimpered in understanding and snaked her arm beneath her body. Groaning at the sight he grabbed at the sheets and continued to shove into her. A few moments later and she stiffened. Letting out a wail she pulsed around him. Letting go with her he called her name out into her hair. Murmuring endearments to her after he caught his breath he pulled out carefully and collapsed beside her.

Deeg sighed and stretched, turning over carefully until she was tucked under his arm. Hunkering down she kissed his bicep and started working her way up his shoulder. Satisfaction radiated out of him as she cuddled close and he stroked her skin with the tips of his fingers. "That was amazing."

Growling in satisfaction he reached down and squeezed her bottom. Deeg gasped and her hips shot forward. Chuckling he pulled her leg over his hip as he kissed her hair. "Sure got you wet in a hurry. We're goin' to have to be careful when we get back. You aren't exactly quiet when I do somethin' you like."

Her already flushed skin darkened with a blush. "I can cast a spell to stop noise."

Humming in interest he allowed her to roll him onto his back. "Can you now?"

"Uhuh." She kissed his jaw as she settled over him. "I can even make it one way so we can hear things outside the spell."

"Clever thing aren't you?"

"Sometimes." She smiled and nuzzled his neck. His arms wrapped around her waist and she murmured happily. "This was a good vacation."

"Nothin' like an empty palace in a pretty valley to help you relax." He ran his hand up her spine to the nape of her neck and rubbed her. "It's goin' to be different when we get to the city."

"Different how?" She was watching him warily all of a sudden.

"I won't be able to take you on the kitchen table for one."

He felt her smile on his skin as she relaxed. "How about up against the wall behind some of the curtains they have hanging everywhere?"

He let out a nearly painful laugh. "We'll see."

"See? You don't need to see me to take me against a wall."

"Deeg." He laughed as he flipped them over. "Is it even worth asking you to behave?"

She pressed her lips to the soft spot behind his ear. Then her sugary sweet voice whispered in his ear. "If I say no are you going to spank me again?"

Rumbling deep in his chest he nipped at her neck. "Not for a few days. I would like you to be able to sit down in the truck tomorrow without wincin'." Deeg laughed softly and he smiled in amusement before turning serious. Brushing his hand through her hair he warned her about how they needed to act. He was sure the rules of behavior at court were much different than those on her farm on the Otherside. "We'll have to keep our distance when other people are around. At least until we're officially engaged."

Her eyes found his. He could see the confusion in them. "What? Why?"

He sighed. "That's just how it is. It's considered improper to let any man other than your fiancé or husband to show open affection in public. We can do whatever we want in private."

"That's stupid." She eyed him. "Is that how it works for other couples?"

"Well, no."

Her eyes flashed. "So I have to be the proper princess? Is that what you're saying?"

He could see her temper starting to rise and backpedaled. No need for her to shot the messenger. "I didn't make the rules, Kid."

"Who did? Some old dead crone from a thousand years ago?"

"I don't know. Court practice is different from anything else. I only learned them because I worked for the Mystic Man. They've been the same for a while."

Deeg flipped them over so she was over his chest. Her hands were on the mattress on either side of his shoulders and levered herself up. He stayed still as her eyes blazed down at him. Anger wasn't the right word for what she was. He would have to go with incensed. "No." Her tone was firm.

His eyebrow quirked up. "No?"

"No. That's completely ridiculous. I refuse to follow stupid and outdated rules. It's not like I'm going to rip off your clothes in front of a bunch of dignitaries but if I want to sit next to you and hold your hand then I'm going to."

"Deeg, that's goin' to cause a stir." He was going to be killed. He could see it in his future pretty clearly. If Ahamo didn't do it he was sure Glitch would. Everything about this was completely improper.

"I don't care. Killing the witch caused a stir too and no one seemed to mind that change in routine."

"Kid-" He was scrambling to find a way around this. He wanted to make her happy but this was such a break with tradition. He wasn't sure she was aware of exactly what this would look like. "-this isn't about stoppin' an enemy that destroyed most of the country. This is about your reputation."

"Oh, so you think people are going to care that two of the biggest heroes in the Outer Zone are having an affair? I don't think they are." She jabbed him in the chest. "I am not ashamed of being with you. I'm lucky you picked me. The rest of the country can take their protocol and tradition and shove it straight up-"

He put his hand over her mouth. He recognized her rants when they started. "Ok."

Her big blue eyes watched him. He could tell she was trying to tell how honest he was being about this. Slowly he lowered his hand. "Ok? Just like that? Ok?"

"Yes." He shifted under her thinking he hadn't had much of a choice in this matter. When Deeg wanted to do something she went ahead and did it. She wasn't afraid of challenging authority and honestly he didn't think the majority of the O.Z. _would_ care. It was the court that he was worried about. That, and the rumors starting too fast. "But would you mind waiting to blow every court tradition out of the water until I talked to my son?"

"I can do that." Leaning down she kissed him reassuringly. All her annoyance with the situation had drained away. "I don't want to upset Jeb."

He let out a relieved breath. "Thank you." He wasn't sure what to do if she had said no. Jeb should know first and that would be impossible if they walked in with her on his arm. The entire palace would know within minutes.

"Thank you." She kissed him again. "Brave tin man. Standing up to all those scary politicians."

He huffed at her crooning tone. "I think you like to stir things up."

"No, I just don't like following rules that have no bearing on the situation. It's silly."

He could understand that. "Fair enough, Sweetheart." He pulled her down and her arms unlocked. He kissed her as she settled over him. "Enjoy the chaos while it lasts. Won't be long before we get engaged."

"You're no fun." She nuzzled his neck. "We could have them chasing their tails for months."

"I'm not waiting months." He knew she was teasing but he wanted to be clear. "You'll be lucky to get a few weeks to drive them crazy." He figured that would be how long it would take to get a ring made for her. He had a design in mind. He'd need to go down into the city to find a jeweler when they got back.

"Fine." She sighed melodramatically. "It better be a pretty ring if you're taking all my fun away."

He snorted out a laugh. "Trouble." He rolled them over and began to kiss his way across her face. Catching her lips at last had her wrapping her arms and legs around him. "Never goin' to get bored with you around."

"Nope." She arched her neck when he started moving south. "I promise to keep you fully occupied."

"Sounds promisin'." He kissed the place he had bitten earlier in the day. "But right now how about we occupy each other?"

Deeg tightened her limbs around him and kissed his hair. An approving shiver ran down her body as he tickled her side rumbled into her skin. He could worry about the reaction of the court and his son tomorrow. For now it was just the two of them in this big empty castle. There last night here was going to be memorable if he had anything to say about it.

Author Note: I'm not even going to say it. Fred is. He says give a review and carrots or he is going on strike. The bunny seems serious people! Don't mess with the fuzz.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: The rights aren't mine and neither is the cowboy. Kicks wall.

Learning from previous experience he walked into Jeb's office, tossed his hat in the spare chair, and sat down. His son wasn't here but he would be soon. There was no point chasing him around in a circle. Sure enough he was sitting patiently waiting while studying an open report when Jeb quick marched inside with an armful of maps. "Dad." A smile lit up his face and his son tossed the rolled up papers down as he stood up.

"Hey there, Jeb." Pulling him into a hug he held him out and grumbled. "Are you eatin'?" He had just gotten the girl to put on weight. He didn't want to start after Jeb too.

The general rolled his eyes. "Yes. Several times a day."

"You better be." He patted the side of his son's head and let him go. "Everything alright? Did you get Claire up here?"

"Everything is fine, and yes, I did. She's already scared off six messengers and a dignitary."

His lip twitched. "Doin' her job then?"

"And she is so good at it." Jeb flopped down and frowned slightly when he moved to the door and shut them in. "Be careful. If she finds the door locked she's likely to break it down to make sure I'm alive."

"She'll have to deal with bein' without your company for a few minutes. I have somethin' I need to talk to you about."

Jeb sighed. "Are you leaving again?"

Thankfully he could honestly tell his boy what he wanted to hear. "No, son. I'm not leavin' anytime soon."

"Then why the secrecy? Is DG ok?"

"She's fine." This was plain uncomfortable. He wasn't entirely sure where to start despite the fact that he spent nearly the entire trip here thinking it over. He had never encountered this particular problem before. He hadn't had a son when he was courting Adora and he had never had to explain himself to anyone. Their parents had figured out what was going on all by themselves. Shifting he tried to decided on the best place to begin. He had felt better about this with Deeg holding his hand as she stared out of the truck at the trees as he drove them back.

"Dad?" He glanced up from the pile of papers he had been glaring at. Jeb was watching him as if he should be looking for signs of a fever. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." He rubbed his eyes and gave up trying to think of a way to make this easier to say. "Jeb, I'm in love with Deeg."

"Yeah." There was a significant pause as he stared at his son before Jeb raised an eyebrow. "Did this come as a surprise to you?"

"What? No."

"Then I don't understand why the door is closed."

Right. Clearly Jeb was not stupid. He would get to the point. "You're not upset?"

"Why would I be upset?"

"The kid isn't your mother."

Jeb blinked at him. "No, she's not." His son watched him for a moment before letting out a short frustrated breath. "Dad…" He ran his hand through his hair in agitation. "Look, mom and I thought you were dead."

He thought he had been trying to keep Jeb's mind away from that. "I know, son, that wasn't your fault." Jeb closed his eyes briefly and for some reason he thought they were talking about very different things all of a sudden. "Jeb?"

"I need to tell you something but I don't want you to get angry."

"Why would I get angry?"

"Damn." Jeb sat forward. "Dad, mom changed after you, well, after we thought you died." He frowned and his son forged on. "She grieved for you for a long time. I'm sure it was different for you. You thought we were dead too. The suite made you think about that and nothing else and I'm sorry I didn't find you."

"That isn't-"

"My fault. I know. But four years after we were bouncing around rebel camps. We had been for a while. Mom was a good leader and an even better medic. She took over training new ones. That's why we were down in the low lands. A bunch of the resistant forces met there on a regular basis. It was safe and easy to defend." He hesitated briefly. "While we were there mom met a man named Jack. He was in charge of one of the largest bands in the country. He used to be a colonel in the army before the witch took over."

He let out a breath realizing where this was going. "Ah."

Jeb looked at him apologetically. "She'd been alone for a long time and he was a good man. He lost his own family a few years before in a raid. He was good to her. He was good to me, and believe me I didn't give him a reason to be. It took me almost a year to warm up to him but she didn't push. I think she knew how hard it was for me. If I liked him then it would mean you were really gone. I think it had been hard enough for her to accept that and I guess she wanted me to have some hope no matter how crazy it was."

Damn it all to hell. Fighting with a number of conflicting emotions, the most pressing being anger over another man with his wife and a hope that she had been content, he nodded. He had no right to be angry. Adora had never deserved to be alone. It was his fault she been mixed up in the resistance to begin with. If she had found someone to be with, that looked after his son the way Deeg did, he should be grateful. He watched his son for a moment as his mind processed what he had been told. "Was she happy?"

"Yes, I think she was. Like I said he was a good man. He taught me to fight and he kept us as safe as he could." His son's eyes went distant. "Not that it helped in the end. Zero found us at the cabin a few years later. We were supposed to be meeting other medics there. Then he showed up instead. I think he caught one and tortured the information out of them." Jeb paused and he saw the struggle in his eyes as he re-lived that day. "Three days later and Jack came looking for us when we missed our meeting. He let me out of the suite and we buried mom."

"What happened to him?"

"He died. Lost focus. I think that was the last straw for him. I'd seen it happen before. He went on a raid the next day and didn't show up again. Two of the other officers were with him. My scouts found their bodies a week later. I took over the camp. There wasn't anyone else there to do it."

Had his boy ever had any luck at all? Adora had managed to cobble a family together and Jeb had lost everything in two days? Any anger there was over Adora being with someone else faded away. "I'm sorry, Jeb."

"It's not your fault. It got easier after a month or so. Then you showed up. Things have been much better this last year."

Standing up he walked around the desk and took hold of his son's shoulders and he crouched down next to him. "You could have told me that before." He squeezed him gently. "I don't want you thinkin' you can't talk to me. I don't want you broodin' over things. I understand that things were hard for you and your mother. You don't need to be blamin' yourself for anything that happened or for likin' a man that took care of both of you. I just want you to be happy."

Jeb gave him a slight smile. "I know." Then his smile faded away. "I was going to tell you but I knew you were trying to deal with losing her. I didn't think it would be fair to throw anything else at you until you made peace with the first part. She always loved you. Mom wouldn't have wanted you to think she forgot you. She wouldn't have wanted you to be alone either."

He figured that had been a smart thing to do no matter how much he thought he knew what was best for both of them. "I understand. But while we're on the subject is there anything else I should know?"

"I don't think so. If anything comes to mind I'll let you know."

"Can I finish now?"

"Sure, Dad."

"I intend to marry, Deeg."

Jeb's lip twitched. "Does she know that?"

Rolling his eyes he stood up and went back to his own seat after giving his boy one last pat. "Yes, she knows that."

"That's good because I think she would fight you on that if you hadn't discussed it. I'd hate to find you scattered across the hall in several pieces."

"Don't give her any ideas." He smiled. "I wanted to let you know first. Do you need to yell at me?"

"No." Jeb was trying not to laugh. "I like DG. And she loves you too. Although I do have to ask how in Ozma's name you fell for a princess. Do you go looking for trouble or does it know where you are all the time?"

"Family trait."

Jeb snorted. "That's true. Thanks for letting me know."

"And Jeb?"

"Yeah?"

"Things are goin' to be a bit crazy around here for a week or so."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"The kid doesn't have much interest in tradition. Things might get tense."

"Ok." His son drew out the word. "Actually, I don't want to know. I'm sure I'll find out one way or another." Jeb sighed and poked at a pile of papers. "You guys missed dinner. Do you want to meet me for breakfast in the morning? That way I can harass, sorry, congratulate the two of you."

"You be nice, Jeb. Deeg is already jumpy about upsettin' you. I don't need you pokin' at her."

"Alright. I'll limit my harassment to you."

"That's my boy." Leaning back to get comfortable he started asking his son what had been happening while he was away. It was better to know now than stumble into a mini-drama playing out in the court. Jeb was always a good source of information. The general knew anything that may have slipped past his notice. It helped that all the spies were loyal to him. Several hours later and Jeb yawned. Taking that as a hint he stood up and snatched his hat. "I'll see you in the mornin'. Promise me you'll stop workin' in the next hour. It's past ten."

"I promise. Night, dad."

"Goodnight, Jeb." Turning out of the office he made his way to the girl's suite. Deeg had promised to meet him there after she talked to Raw. He had already tossed a few of his things in here. No point in moving his things to his room when they would be in hers the next day. He had no intention of sleeping without her.

Wanting to rest after the trip back he went ahead and slipped into a hot bath after locking the door behind him. He had barely sunk under the water when he heard Deeg open the door and close it just as quickly. "Wyatt?"

"Bath!" He called through the rooms. Seconds later and the girl opened the bathroom door. She took one look at the steam rising out of the water and began to pull off her clothes.

"How'd it go with Jeb?"

"It didn't go the way I expected." Deeg froze with her shirt in one hand. He motioned for her to join him. "Not like that. He wasn't surprised. He seemed pretty pleased I was happy."

The kid finished undressing and stepped into the tub. She sank down and he gathered her against him. Deeg kissed his jaw and relaxed into him. Her eyes fluttered shut as the heat from the water seeped into her. "What about it was unexpected?"

He stroked her hair. "He told me Adora met a man a few years after I was in the suite."

Her eyes snapped open and she twisted her neck to see him. He could tell she was scrambling to figure out what she should say. "Are you… Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." He kissed her forehead. "Jeb said she was happy. That's all I could hope for."

Her blue eyes searched his for a long minute. Then she stretched up and kissed him. "If you change your mind." She stroked his cheek for a second.

Catching her hand he kissed her knuckles gently. "I know, Darlin'. What did Raw tell you?"

Deeg looked at him for another few seconds before answering. "He said between the two of us we should be able to fix it. You'll have to be there though. I think I have to be touching you when I reweave the spell."

"Reweave?"

"Raw said the magic was all tangled. He hadn't been looking for a spell when he was trying to figure out what was wrong with me. He thought I was just upset over all the changes. Once he did he could see the knots. I have to get it to lay flat. The magic was confused. I have to explain what it should be doing."

"How do you explain it?"

"By untangling it. If I put the pieces where they should be the magic will understand what I want."

"And then you can sleep?"

"Then I can sleep. But it's goin' to take me at least four hours to do that and Raw will need to help. Can you sit still that long?"

"Sure, Sweetheart. Not a problem."

"Thanks, Tin Man."

He kissed her temple. "That's hardly a hard thing for me to do." Catching her jaw he turned her head toward him again and kissed her fully on the lips. "Missed you."

"I missed you too." She kissed his cheek. "We were only apart for three hours. What am I supposed to do when I don't see you all day?"

That was true. It had taken them hours to get out of Finaqua this morning. They had slept late, mostly because he had kept her up most of the night, and then he hadn't been able to let her go once the were awake. By the time they had cleaned up, packed, and eaten it was well past noon. The whole way back she had been leaning against him as he drove and then they were here and they had separated. It had been uncomfortable. He hadn't liked not having her next to him in the slightest no matter how much he had enjoyed spending time with his son.

"That's what the mornin' is for." He gave her a much deeper kiss and stroked his hands down her body. "And the evenin'." Running his hands to her thighs he started rubbing them firmly and she pressed back against him. "And especially the night." Wrapping one hand around her middle he moved the other to her center.

Deeg moaned and tossed her head back over his shoulder. Her hands flew under the water and pressed over his. "Wyatt."

Bending his head he kissed her neck as he rubbed her. Pressing her hips forward the girl whimpered softly as he teased her. Knowing she wasn't about to go anywhere he raised his other hand and pinched her nipple. That had a small mewl falling out of her and he growled into her neck. He did love listening her moan for him. "That's it, Darlin'. Let me hear you."

"Love you, Wyatt. Want you inside of me."

He stroked her more firmly. "Is that what you really want?"

Her arm came up and wrapped behind his neck. "Always."

Nuzzling her neck he let her alone long enough to grab her hips and lift her in the warm water. Taking the hint she spread her legs and positioned him as he lowered her down onto his lap. Raising his knees he forced her to lean against his chest as he pressed up into her. She called out to him and he nuzzled his face against the side of her head. Holding her hips he urged her into a fast pace. He needed her now and knew he wasn't going to be able to wait long this time.

Deeg complied quickly and the warm water began to splash around the edge of the tub. Grunting he stretched his finger out and pressed it firmly against her clit as he she took him in. The girl moaned and her arm tightened around his neck as they moved together. Kissing her neck he encouraged her to hurry. "Fall for me, Darlin'." He groaned as she squeezed him. "Need to hear you scream for me."

Deeg whimpered and squeezed him again. Letting out a choked moan he came inside her hard. As he shuddered the girl let out a soft wail and bent into him. Gripping her hips he held her still as the aftershocks pulsed through them. Eventually the kid relaxed with him still nestled inside her. Her hand ran over the hair at the nape of his neck as they fought to catch their breath. "And I thought the sex would be less exciting when we got back."

He began to laugh at her breathless statement. "Why's that?"

"Figured the location would be distracting."

"Distracting? The only thing that's going to be distracting is seeing you naked in my head when we should be doin' somethin' that requires clothes."

Deeg smiled and turned her head so she could kiss his neck. "That could be hard for you."

He rolled his eyes. "That wasn't even clever, Sweetheart."

She laughed and kissed him again. "All I'm saying is you might have to take me behind a curtain. I don't see us making it to my room every time."

"Ozma girl." Pulling out of her he turned her so her legs were over his and she was sideways across his lap. Running his hand over her hair he kissed her forehead. "There's no talkin' you out of an idea once it's in your head."

"Nope."

Relaxing into the tub he had just closed his eyes when an idea floated into his head. His eyes snapped back open. "How'd Glitch get you in the truck?"

"What?" Deeg was playing with his hair and answered him distractedly. She really did have a fascination with it. Not that he was complaining. Her fingers felt wonderful brushing along his scalp.

"When we were leavin'. How'd he get you to come with me?" Her eyes went to his and he knew she knew what he was talking about. "You sure were set on stayin' as far away from me as you could get."

Her fingers twitched and a smile tugged on her lips. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because you had that set in your head and you still got in the truck." He was stuck on this now. He had never once managed to get Deeg to do anything she didn't want to short of holding her down and somehow the man with half his brain in a tank had managed to do it. The girl hummed and kissed his cheek. Then she put her head under his chin and yawned. He rolled his eyes and grumbled. "Deeg."

Laughing she kissed his neck. "Oh, alright." The kid sat up so they were looking at one another. Her hand came up and traced his jaw. "He told me you couldn't help being an idiot sometimes since your brain was tin plated but he knew you were trying to help." Her humor faded away. "When I told him what happened he said it might be better if I went with you for a while. He told me you were only bothering me so much because you cared. He said maybe it was my turn to be looked after for a while and you were the only one stubborn enough to do it." Her eyes darkened and he knew she was thinking about her nurture units. "He said it wasn't fair that I didn't get taken care of like everyone else. He said you'd take care of me if I let you."

He needed to thank the Headcase for getting her to open up in the first place. He rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "How am I doin'?"

A tear slipped down her cheek even as she smiled. "Really good."

He kissed her gently before pulling away. "Are you still sad, Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, but it's better when I'm with you." She sighed. "I think I got used to them not being around but I always thought I'd get to see them again. I thought I'd get to say goodbye or have them come see me when everything settled down. Even if I left I thought I'd have family here to come back to if I decided that was what I wanted."

"You have family here."

Deeg pressed into his hand. "It's not the same." He kissed her again and she leaned into him. "I can't remember them."

"I know. You can't replace people but you can let new ones in." He held her a little closer. "Worked out pretty good for me."

Her eyes sparked affectionately. "I know you hate when I say this but you are sweet."

He let out an exaggerated sigh and the girl laughed. Relieved at her return to a happier state of mind he ran his fingers teasingly down her ribs. She squirmed and he hugged her. "What do you say we get cleaned up then go cuddle up under the blankets? It's been a long day and knowin' you you'll be up and runnin' tomorrow."

The girl smiled and splashed him. "You mean you're going to let me sleep tonight?"

He rumbled out a laugh. "Only tonight, Sweetheart. You need to be awake for breakfast tomorrow."

"Why?"

He nibbled her neck as he reached for a washcloth. "Jeb intends to interrogate us."

She groaned and he laughed. "Awww! You said he was happy!"

"That doesn't mean he isn't goin' to milk this for all it's worth. He was a resistance leader. Taking advantage of a situation is what he's best at."

Deeg whined but allowed him to start washing her. "Alright."

He kissed her as he cleaned her neck. "Look at it this way. He wouldn't tease you at all if he didn't like you."

"Ok." The girl accepted her fate and he smiled in amusement. "But only cause its Jeb."

"I appreciate that."

Taking the washcloth from him she started on his skin. "Don't worry so much, Tin Man." Finished she dropped the cloth. "Now let's wash off so we can go to bed. Someone wore me out today and now their son is going to question me about our deviant activities." His rumbling laugh filled the bathroom. Deeg shook her head and kissed him. "Not that I'm complaining." His laughter increased and her eyes glittered. The kid dumped enough water on his head to get rid of the soap and stood up dripping water.

His eyes hooded as she stepped out and he reconsidered letting her sleep. Following her quickly he grabbed her before she could secure the towel around her body and kissed her deeply. Deeg moaned and he lifted her up. Her legs wrapped around his hips and he carried her into her bedroom. The girl tore their mouths apart and began kissing his face. He rumbled happily and dropped to the bed. She let out a laugh as they bounced and he tickled her ribs. Deeg wriggled under him as she laughed and he smiled down at her. This was going to be an adventure. He hoped he'd survive.

Author Note: Ahhh. The bittersweet moment of ending a story. Sniffle…Huggles all around! Hope you had fun on the ride guys! I know I did!


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